A Storm is Coming
by ecfan
Summary: The curse has broken and David is furious with Regina. Evil Charming. Lots of angst. Some mature themes.
1. The Curse has Broken

After the curse had broken, David and Snow reunited in the streets of Storybrooke. Everything happened so suddenly. In one moment, he was David. The next moment, he was Prince Charming with 30 years of memories with a different persona. Prince Charming was so happy that their 28 year wait had come to an end. He remembered his last moments as Prince Charming. The moment he put his newborn daughter into the vault suddenly hit him. Emma. They had found her. She didn't know it yet, but they had finally found her. His eyes lit up as he saw Snow standing there.

"I can't believe I found you," Charming whispered breathlessly in between deep, passionate kisses. He was truly happy that they were reunited. They finally conquered the queen, and the curse had been broken.

The queen. It hit him like a ton of bricks. Charming could not help but think of the double life that he had led. During the curse, not knowing that Regina was the Evil Queen, David had started a relationship with her. He had been intimate with her. Now, those memories flooded his mind. It was a strangely odd sensation. He was no longer just Prince Charming, and neither was he just David. He was a mixture of them both. And whereas Prince Charming loved Snow White with all of his heart, David had loved Regina just as much. But she wasn't just Regina either. She was the Evil Queen. And he had no doubt that she had known about the curse the entire time.

David broke his kisses with Snow White as his face reddened with anger. "What's wrong, David?" Snow asked him anxiously.

"Snow, I will be back soon. I have to go take care of something." He left his answer at that, and left Snow standing in the middle of the street, as he rushed to Regina's house.

His anger and fury consumed him. He thought of her large, white mayoral mansion where they had spent many intimate moments together. And Snow…what would he tell her? That he had been intimate with the woman who has tried so hard to destroy their lives. He didn't know what he was going to do…he had no plan. His mind was racing and his blood pumping fast. He was so angry. So angry that he could see red and he could hear his loudly beating pulse throbbing in his ears. He was going to talk to her….yell at her, scream at her. He wanted to know how she could be so evil. How could she pretend to love him everyday all the while knowing what she did…what she was doing.

At the same time, a small part of him…a tiny piece of him….had a sliver of hope that she was not the Evil Queen anymore. Indeed, throughout their relationship, she had shown many moments of softness and complexity. Perhaps, she was being truthful when she said she loved him. Perhaps, the 30 years of magical rehab had changed her. Of course, he couldn't let that cloud his mind. It was highly doubtful that she had had no recollection of the curse. It was more than likely that she had been acting the part of the loving girlfriend in order to maintain the curse and keep him separated from Snow.

—-

The curse had broken and instantaneously Regina felt a wave of nausea consume her. Her heart was breaking and her body trembled. She didn't want to leave Henry, but she knew she had no other choice. The members of the town would be after her soon, she knew it. And she was defenseless…a broken curse, but no magic.

She waited at her giant house, alone. She, like David, suffered from racing thoughts and the general malaise brought on by fear. She sat at her bedside, looking at a photo of David and Henry. Regina had known about the curse all 28 years, and when the curse was at the cusp of breaking, she initiated a relationship with David. At first, the thought of him touching her had made her cringe. But she continued to play the part to save the curse. Over time, though, she realized that she was not faking her interest in David any longer. She truly did care for him.

Regina was terrified that both Henry and David would be lost to her forever, now. Tears formed in her eyes, but she was too panicked to cry. She couldn't calm down long enough to lie down, even though she was suffering from terrible nausea. She instead, paced back and forth in her bedroom. Regina could not eat nor rest. Her mind was racing about every possible scenario that could happen, and every response that she needed to prepare. After only several hours, she was exhausted, both physically and emotionally. She had cried so much, she wasn't sure that she even had it in her to shed one more tear.

Regina heard David's car pull-up into the driveway. It startled her, and she jumped up from her bedside instantaneously to look out the window. He was angry, she could see it in his body language. He jumped out of his truck, slamming the door behind him. His powerful stride stirred dread in her that she had never experienced before.

He didn't even knock on that large front door. Instead he kicked the door open with forceful anger and scoured the house for her. Regina, after hearing the forceful entry locked her bedroom door, quietly. This was not just David, anymore. This was Prince Charming. He tried to have her executed before, and he was undoubtably in an unforgiving mood. He had every right to be angry though, and she knew it. Curse and true love aside, she had taken his daughter away from him for 30 years, and tried to poison her just yesterday. She had a genuine fear that he was hear to murder her. Quickly, she looked for an escape. She could try to climb out the window. She was too anxious to make that work though. She could barely move. Regina was trembling so much she could see colorful lights in the corner of her eyes, and she was losing feeling in her arms and legs. "How weak have I become to fear a shephard?" she thought.

David knew she was in this house. He glanced at her car keys on the kitchen table and he knew that she must be there somewhere. He scoured every room on the bottom floor for her, slamming doors as he did so.

"Regina, where are you?" he shouted. "I know you are here!"

Regina was still in her room, trying to calm herself down. She was panicking and she didn't know what she should do. After moments of deliberation, she heard David's powerful stride coming towards the door.

In no time at all, he was banging on her bedroom door. "Regina! Regina, open this door! I know that you are in there."

She was paralyzed in fear, and couldn't make any decision. She wished her magic had arrived with the curse so that she could leave. Regina wished she could transport herself to anyplace than where she was. She felt like she was suffocating. The only thing that she could do was back herself into a dark corner of the bedroom.

She could hear him picking at the lock, and the suspense was killing her. She knew that this was inevitable. He was going to be in the same room with her at any moment. She wasn't even really sure what she was afraid of. She was afraid of Prince Charming. She was also afraid of losing David. She was afraid to hear him confirm her worst thoughts, that he no longer loved her.

He finally unlocked the door, and with a loud bang, he kicked the door open, sword in hand. David saw her in the corner, shaking. Her eyes were rimmed red, and he knew that she had been crying. Good. She should be afraid after everything that she has done. And now, after 28 years of being under her control, she would be under his. He had the power, now. He could tell by her body language that she had no magic. She was vulnerable and defenseless. He was going to ask the questions, and she was going to answer.

For several moments, they just stared at each other with his sword pointed at her. His face was contorted in anger and she was ashamed and full of guilt, and he knew it. She also looked exhausted and a bit frail standing in that corner. For a moment, he felt empathy for her. However, he knew that she was the master manipulator. He needed to be smart and extremely cautious dealing with her.

Finally, David spoke. "Sit," he said sternly as he pointed his sword towards the edge of the bed. With trepidation, she slowly walked towards the edge of the bed, glancing in his direction to protect herself from any sudden movements.

-"David…" she started.

-"Stop." His voice was powerful and unforgiving. "This is what is going to happen. I am going to ask the questions, and _you_ are going to answer them."

-He let his sword down, but continued. "I…I don't even know where to begin, Regina," he said as he rubbed his hand over his face as a sign of his deep frustration.

"Actually, you know what? I do know where I want to start. I want to know exactly what you were trying to accomplish by initiating a relationship with me. What…were you trying to make Snow's life miserable, like usual? Did you enjoy exploiting my feelings to get revenge on Snow? Tell me. Because I want to know."

Regina was still in shock over the day's events. Her voice was dry and the response was hard to start. She could only stare down at the folded hands in her lap.

"Tell me." David was getting agitated by her lengthy pause.

With a hoarse and cracking voice, she began. "Yes…but…" This was the only response she could muster before her voice started to tremble and break.

David took his fist and slammed it against the table he was standing next to. He then took the vase of flowers and sent it crashing against the wall. Regina jumped slightly, startled by the sudden outburst. Tears were starting to form in her eyes, even though she thought that there were no more left that she could shed.

She began again, as he started to pace back and forth in the room. "At the beginning, yes. But as time moved on, and we began getting closer, it changed."

At that revelation, David knew he need to leave because he was on the brink of losing control of himself. He was too angry. He scurried down the stairs and out the door before he did something that he would regret.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, David heard a commotion outside of Mary Margaret's apartment window. They hurried downstairs to find that a mob full of vigilantes was ready to execute the Evil Queen.

He didn't want to care, but he did. He knew that Regina was defenseless against such a large crowd. He was unsure about what he wanted from her, but he knew that if she died, he would never get it. David, Mary Margaret, Henry, and Emma rushed to the mayor's house.

He saw her on her front porch. She was pinned against the wall, with Dr. Whale's hand wrapped against her throat. This fully angered him. He rushed up towards Regina and Dr. Whale, turning him around and punching him in his jaw. The force was great enough to push him back and fall backwards slightly.

Regina instantly doubled over, gasping for air, as Dr. Whale let go.

"Don't touch her! You are neither the police nor law enforcement, Dr. Whale. Like it or not, as long as we are in this land, we will abide by it's laws."

"No. How do I know that you are not going to let her roam free? You two were involved before the curse broke. I don't trust you."

"You think that I want anything to do with her, after all she has done?" David replied. Those words cut through Regina. The stinging pain left by Dr. Whale's hand now paled in comparison to the words that David had just spoken.

"Emma and I will take her to the station, where she will be locked up for her safety, and for ours." As he said those words, he stared coldly at Regina as she was still bent over clutching her throat.

David pushed the jail cell shut. He glanced over at Regina who was standing there, staring at him. She looked so frail. Her frail appearance contrasted sharply with the dark, cold atmosphere of the jail cell.

"Well, your Majesty, it looks like good has overcome evil. Once again." His voice was cold and unforgiving. Even though he could see the tears forming in her beautiful brown eyes, he could not muster enough empathy for her to offer her any sort of comfort.

"David, please let me explain," she begged. Her trembling voice was soft and sweet. It seemed so unlike her hard and icy voice he remembered as the Evil Queen.

"Stop. I don't want to hear it. Snow and I…we gave you every chance in the world. We stopped your execution, even after countless attempts of assassination on your part. What did we do, to deserve this never-ending misery from you?" He paused.

"I don't even know how to fix this, Regina. You know, I really did love you…or whoever you were pretending to be. I, David, would have helped you. If you would have told me what you had done, even after casting this terrible curse, I would have helped you because I loved you. I don't know what to believe though, now. Last night, you told me that you loved me. How can I believe that though? You have kept this secret, this lie for nearly 30 years now. And we haven't even begun to talk about the fact that you tried to have my daughter poisoned, not even 3 days ago?"

David was again getting frustrated to the point that he thought he could explode.

"David, I do love you. I know it is hard to believe now, but I do love you. Please, lets talk. Don't leave me alone tonight, please."

David let out a deep breath and straightened his posture. He replied matter-of-factly. "I will speak with you…in the morning."

"Please, David, don't go…" she began softly.

Raising his voice, to get his point across he stated again, "I said…that I will speak with you in the morning."

David turned to his beside alarm clock and realized that it was 3 am and he was still wide awake. He was tossing and turning all night long, thinking of Regina. He felt guilty, now more than anything. She was scared. She was terrified of being left alone in that dark jail cell, and he had just walked away without concern for her.

He got up, and grabbed his car keys. He knew that he said he would wait until morning to talk with her, but he was upset. As the night progressed and he thought about her in such a vulnerable state, he began to have more and more sympathy for her. He didn't care if she was sleeping at this moment, he would wake her up. He wanted to talk to her, and really talk to her.

Regina had been up all night, too. She had a toxic mixture of fear, dread, anxiety, and guilt all eating away at her. She was curled up against the wall with hands wrapped around her knees, sobbing softly. Through her window shone the moonlight, which illuminated both her figure and her ebony hair.

David saw her, crying, and an overwhelming feeling of empathy came over him and the anger began to evaporate. He walked over to her jail cell and stared at her. She stared at him briefly, but silently. Seeing him there though, ignited the pain once more and she couldn't help but return to her sobs again once more. He opened her jail cell door and sat next to her on the bed. Saying nothing, he took his arms and embraced her.

"David, I am so sorry. Please forgive me. I am so sorry." She leaned into his chest and cried while he stroked her hair softly. He did not completely trust her, yet, but he felt compelled to believe her. Still, he could not bring himself to forgive her. Right now, he could only offer physical comfort. To think that this woman, whom he as David had loved so dearly, was responsible for massive amounts of pain and misery was unbearable.

After a while, they both sat on the bed silent and still. She wanted to talk to David, for him to tell her that everything would be alright and that he would be there to support her. Her voice was still raw though, and it pained her to speak. Trembling voice as she spoke, she asked David, "David, I know I have no right to ask you this, but…please help me. I am scared. I don't have magic. I don't have any way to protect myself."

He wanted to help her but it was not so simple. First, he did not entirely trust her or her motives. Secondly, what could he possibly do? He could try to hide her, but the town would be furious to know that the Evil Queen was roaming free somewhere in Storybrooke. Still, he could tell that she was really anxious and that she needed to rest.

"I will stay with you until morning comes. Until then, you need to rest," he said softly. He left the cell briefly to retrieve an extra blanket and motioned for her to lay down. Once she was lying down, he noticed the mark of a hand on her neck from earlier in the day. He felt his anger mounting once again, but this time against the good doctor.

"Has anyone been by today to look at your neck?" he asked softly.

"No," she replied turning to avoid his gaze, ashamed that she did not have 1 person that cared enough about her to check on her.

"I am going to get some antiseptic and some pain medication, for you okay?"

"Thank you," she said as she was already starting to doze off.

When David returned, Regina was already asleep, no doubt exhausted. He gently pushed away her hair and applied the antiseptic with the soft sweeps of a cotton ball.


	3. Chapter 3

He left early in the morning, before Regina had woken up. She needed to rest and he needed to have some time by his self. And Snow. He needed to talk to her.

On his way home to Snow's apartment, David could not stop thinking about Snow and Regina. Before he went to that jail cell, the choice was obvious. Snow was his pure and innocent wife, whom even after 30 years of separation he still loved dearly. Regina, on the other hand, was flawed…and by all standards, evil. He witnessed her malice in the Enchanted Forest. With his own eyes, he had seen all of the destruction and blood that followed her. How could anybody commit that kind of terror?

Still, after seeing Regina in that jail cell…it had done something to him. He felt sympathy for her. This troubled him, because she was the least deserving of it. Even putting aside all of the crimes against humanity that she committed in the Enchanted Forest, she still had cast a curse which had caused all of them to suffer needlessly for almost 30 years! His sweet daughter, Emma, had been stolen from him. And all of this happened because of her.

When he arrived back at Snow's apartment, Snow immediately ran up to him and embraced him. "David, where have you been? I was getting so worried."

"I went to talk to Regina" he stated. He strode over to the couch and rested his elbows on his knees, letting out a big sigh.

"What happened?" she asked, a little hesitantly. Snow knew that Regina and David had a relationship during the curse. She had not asked David about it yet, but she knew the discussion was inevitable and now was as good a time as ever.

"She was upset, and crying. I cannot ever remember seeing her in such a broken state before. And even though I know all of the things that she has done, I cannot help but feel sympathy for her."

He continued. "Snow, Regina and I…we were together before the curse broke. Only for a short time, a few months, but I want you to know that I am so sorry. I cannot believe that I fell for her tricks again. Even in Storybrooke, the whole town knew that she was a liar and a manipulator. I should never have gotten involved with her."

These words were painful for Snow to hear. Even though they had not been aware of the curse, she felt that they no longer would be unblemished as they had so been before. She feared that his relationship with Regina would bring a lot of heartache in the near future.

Still, she smiled softly at David with a tear in the corner of her eye. She raised a hand and softly stroked his face as an offering of understanding and comfort. "David, we were all under a curse, its okay."

It wasn't truly okay. She was upset by it. She figured this would be a discussion better suited for another day, though.

"Come. Let's eat breakfast." She motioned for him to follow her to the kitchen, and they sat down to eat breakfast, silently.

—-

Meanwhile, at the police station, Dr. Whale and Jefferson, sat outside in their vehicle contemplating their next move. Now that the truth was out, they were furious and desperate to get back to their loved ones. Dr. Whale was growing more agitated with every passing moment, tapping his foot against the car floor anxiously. Jefferson, calm, was in deep thought thinking about what strategy they should use.

They really needed to get her away from the police station so that they could force her to reverse the damage done by this curse. Jefferson wanted his daughter back and Dr. Whale wanted to return to his world to deceased brother. Soon, the police station would be crawling with police. They needed to act quickly.

Jefferson pulled out his gun and they walked briskly into the police station. Luckily, entering the station was easy, and they instantly saw Regina sitting on the prison cot. "Where is everyone?" Dr. Whale thought. This was just too easy. After a sigh of relief, he was able to collect himself. He no longer was anxious, but excited about their prospects.

Taking one hand and knocking on the door to get her attention, Dr. Whale and Jefferson entered the sheriff's station.

"Good morning, Regina," Jefferson stated in a low voice laced with malice. Regina instantly was startled and jumped up off the cot.

Regina saw the gun in Jefferson's hand and put her hand forward as to stop him from coming any closer. "Jefferson, I can explain…" Her voice trailed off because even though she knew she needed to say something, she didn't have an explanation.

Jefferson saw her gaze at the gun he was yielding. He let out a small chuckle. "Don't worry Regina, this isn't for you. Not today anyways."

Dr. Whale had finally found the keys to the cell and opened the door.

"Stop. Don't come any closer to me," Regina pleaded. Without saying a word Dr. Whale wrapped his arm around her chest, preventing her from using her arms to set herself free. She struggled against him, and she put up a good fight. Before long, the pair of them had crashed into the wall. Dr. Whale, startled by the sudden force, let her go and she ran. It didn't take Dr. Whale long though to grab her by the arm and push her to the ground. He crouched on top of her to gain better control. Jefferson grabbed her arms and held them above her head.

Regina was terrified. What were they planning on doing to her? Even if she screamed, no one would be able to hear her. "Stop. You don't need to do this. I know you're angry, but I can help you."

In these moments, all she could think about was David. How she wished he would come barreling through the front door and save her. She wanted to tell him how sorry she was and how much she loved him.

In a moment of desperation, she called out to him. "David! David, please help me!"

Regina soon realized what was going to happen. It was both a sigh of relief and dread for things to come. Dr. Whale pulled out a vial of tranquilizer and started to draw it. She soon had renewed energy to fight and she fought persistently. "David! David! Where are you? Please help, David!"

As Dr. Whale administered the anesthetic to her, she could feel her strength slip away. She continued to squirm and fight though until the drug had completely washed her efforts away.

When she became unconscious, Dr. Whale and Jefferson let out a deep sigh of exhaustion and stared at each other. They picked her body up and loaded her into the backseat of their vehicle.

—

David figured that he needed to head back to the police station. He and Emma had plans to meet there at 9:00 to interrogate Regina about the curse. As he drove up to the front of the police station, something seemed off…although he could not place his finger on it.

When he entered the front doors, his eyes were drawn to three things: Emma, who had just arrived; Regina's empty jail cell; and the near destruction of the Sheriff's station. Indeed, the place looked as though it had been ransacked.

After a brief moment to assess the situation, he asked, "Regina? Where is she?"

Emma replied, "I don't know. My guess is that she escaped."

His anger was getting the better of him once again. He slammed his fist against his desk. He paused and let out a big sigh. "Well, we have to find her. Who knows what she is capable of or would be willing to do, especially now that she has lost control of the situation."

"We'll find her, David. First, I want to know how she escaped. There is a surveillance video in the back. Let's check it out." She motioned for him to follow her.

They both sat down in front of the screen and watched the scene play out. At first, they say Dr. Whale and Jefferson enter the station with a gun. David and Emma both turned to each other, and their faces said all that was needed. Regina did not escape. David could feel the dread rising in the pit of his stomach. They continued watching.

David saw the way that Dr. Whale grabbed her and how she struggled against him. He saw their encounter with the wall. He heard her pleading with him to stop what he was doing. The terror and raw emotion in her voice was getting to him. He could barely stand to watch the surveillance video any longer.

He turned his head away when he saw Dr. Whale on top of Regina. His worst fear was materializing before his eyes. And then, he heard his name. He heard her screaming for him, begging for him to help her.

"Stop. Stop the video!" He yelled at Emma. Emma immediately hit pause. David was drowning in his emotions. David got up slowly and strode over to the small private bathroom. He made himself sick.

In this moment, a memory came to surface from a few weeks ago.

 _They were sitting in her office next to her fireplace, sipping wine and watching the flames flicker. Regina had been quiet for a long time, lost in deep thought._

 _"David," she started,"if I ever did something wrong, would you be able to forgive me?"_

 _"Of course…maybe it would take some time, but I love you. That will never change."_

 _Regina stayed silent, but nodded her head with a slight smile._

 _"Why? Is something wrong? Are you in trouble?"_

 _"I am not sure yet," she replied hesitantly._

 _"Regina, if something is wrong…you need to tell me. I can help you," His voice was growing concerned._

 _In this moment, Regina was contemplating on telling him. She knew the curse was fragile, but she was also terrified to tell him. She had grown to love him, and she knew that as soon as he knew the truth, he would hate her. Still, a part of her thought that maybe if she told him the truth, he might forgive her._

 _"David, I want to tell you…but, I am afraid. I am afraid that you won't love me anymore."_

 _"You know that I love you. I understand that you are afraid, but I promise you that there is nothing you could tell me that would make me leave you._ _Please though, I can only help you if I know what is going on."_

 _He couldn't take her pauses and long contemplations any longer. "Is somebody trying to hurt you? Or blackmailing you? Whatever it is, Regina, I will make sure that nobody will ever hurt you._

He had promised her that he would never leave her, that there was nothing she could do that would make him leave her, and that he would make sure that nobody would ever hurt her. He had broken all three of those promises in less than 24 hours. Guilt, love, sympathy, and anger fueled his body.

Emma gave David a moment to himself. She knew that he was under a great deal of stress, and that despite everything that Regina had done, it was obvious that he still loved and cared about her.

"David," Emma spoke softly, "we need to watch the rest of the video to find out what happened. Don't let despair consume you. Right now, Regina is somewhere in Storybrook, with Dr. Whale and Jefferson. We need to find her. The video can help us determine what happened."

That gave David the strength to find his way back to the surveillance video. He looked down for a bit and said to Emma, "go on."

He continued to hear Regina's constant pleads for him. Then, he saw Dr. Whale administer her the tranquilizer and watched her body go limp.

David was angry now. The anger he felt towards Regina for casting the curse now paled in comparison that he felt towards Jefferson and Dr. Whale. He stood up abruptly and stormed out the front doors of the Sherrif's station. Emma followed him, yelling out for him. "David! What are you doing? Where are you going?"

He slammed the door to his red pick-up truck and turned the key to ignite the engine. "I am going to find Regina." Emma ran over to the passenger side and jumped in before David sped away. "I'm coming, too."

With that, David pulled out of the parking lot and stepped on the gas. He had a pretty good guess to where the three of them had gone.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: I am going to rate this chapter as M to be on the safe side. Trigger Warning: attempted sexual assault; mention of marital abuse. However, I wouldn't say that it is a very graphic chapter.**

David sped through lights and traffic stops. His hands gripped the steering wheel hard and his body was tense. He was determined to find her as quickly as possible. As he drove, his mind flipped through images of her in distress. He knew she must be terrified, and a part of him hoped that she was still unconscious from whatever drug Dr. Whale had administered to her.

He thought back to the time that Regina had told him that her first marriage was not a happy marriage. He did not ask too many questions about it, because he did not want to upset her. However, some of Regina's actions and responses had led him to believe that perhaps her first husband was abusive. He remembered how at the beginning of their relationship, she had shuddered at his touch. The first night they were together intimately, she had pleaded with him to be careful and to not hurt her.

 _"David, please…be careful. It has been a long time, and I am a little nervous."_

As she said those words to him, he couldn't help but feel that there was more to her hesitation than what she was letting on. Of course, his first instinct should have been to insist on waiting a while longer. However, she repeatedly told him that she was ready and that she wanted it, too. When he could feel her body anxiously trembling beneath his own, he asked her again if she was alright and if she wanted to continue, of which she replied yes.

As they were driving, he thought about these small, subtle signs, and he hoped that whatever Dr. Whale and Jefferson had planned to do with her, she was not be exploited in this way. It tore him apart to think that what had happened this morning could re-open those emotional wounds.

His mind was repeatedly playing a scene in his head to where he would find Regina and rescue her. Then, he would beat Dr. Whale and Jefferson into a bloody pulp. She was the Evil Queen, yes. However, they had no right to come into the sherif's station, assault, and kidnap a woman with no magic who was defenseless and vulnerable.

Emma tried to calm him down. She told him that Regina was probably fine and that they were probably just trying to use her to send them back to the Enchanted Forest. David could not hear it though. He was so focused that he could not pay attention to what Emma was saying. His anger and fear was blinding him towards her and shutting her out. He would try to respond to her, but his adrenaline was rushing through him causing him to speak only in broken fragments that were not well put together. He wasn't even sure if what he was saying made any sense.

"Where do you think they are at?" Emma asked, collected and calm.

"I am not sure. However, I think the first place we should look is in Regina's vault. Once, Regina and I were together to visit her father's gravesite. In the corner, I saw that there were some old books, and some chemicals. I asked her what it was, and she told me not to be concerned over it. She said that it was just an old chemistry set that her mother had once kept in her possession, but that she had treasured. Now that the curse has broken, I think that it might have been some magic from the Enchanted Forest that she had been saving. My guess is that Dr. Whale and Jefferson brought her there to perform some magical enchantment."

—

Regina's Vault

Groggily, Regina had started to regain consciousness. The first thing she noticed was bright lights. The light was painful and she squinted to keep the brightness at bay. Her eyelids still felt heavy so it took her a while before she could flutter her eyes open enough to focus in on her settings. She could hear some voices in the background, but a loud swooshing sound in her ears made it difficult to understand what they were saying. She felt that she was in a dream state. She could make out some lights and and sounds, but her surroundings were hazy. She then remembered the last moments before she lost consciousness and she instantly became panicked. She tried to move, but she could only squirm slightly. Whatever drug that Dr. Whale had given to her was powerful, and her whole body felt heavy and numb.

Dr. Whale and Jefferson noticed her stirring. Finally, they would be able to use her to send them back to the Enchanted Forest. Jefferson was already in no mood to wait any longer, and was becoming agitated. He had spent nearly 30 years without his daughter, and he did not want to wait a moment more. Both Dr. Whale and Jefferson had been alone for so long. They had no families in Storybrooke, no significant others. They craved familiarity and longed for the warmth and comfort that family brought them.

"Regina, wake up!" Jefferson shouted wearily.

She fluttered her eyes until she could see his face. He could see that she could focus on him, now. She was fully conscious. She turned her head slightly to glance at Dr. Whale, but she had barely enough strength to do so.

With a hoarse voice, she whispered, "What do you want?"

Dr. Whale used this as an opportunity to speak. "We need your help. The curse is broken. We want you to return us to the Enchanted Forest."

Regina let out a sigh that was half a chuckle. "I can't. It's not possible. There is no magic here."

Jefferson piped up. "Wait a second. I was able to get the apple back from the Enchanted Forest so that you could give it to Emma. Why can we not use the magic within these vaults to send us back?"

"There is not enough here, Jefferson. You know that already. We barely had enough to get back an apple. There is no way that I would be able to send two full human beings back. It's just not possible."

With that information, Jefferson turned around and slammed his fist into a wall, leaving a hole.

His raised voice deep and powerful, he stated, "We are going to find a way. Dr. Whale and I are going to find every last piece of magic within this vault. We will turn this place upside down, until we have enough magic to send us back."

Dr. Whale and Jefferson pulled out drawers, and ransacked the entire room, searching in every remote and hidden corner to find any trace of a magical object. Regina, barely having enough strength to push herself up into a sitting position, just sat and watched. She didn't know if David cared enough to come looking for her, but she hoped that he would at least try to figure out what happened to her.

After nearly 30 minutes of endless searching and ransacking, both Jefferson and Dr. Whale collapsed onto the floor propping themselves up against a wall. They grabbed a nearby water bottle and started drinking furiously to stave off the thirst that had developed from their intense searching. With sweat dripping off of their forehead, they started to whisper to each other. Regina could not hear their conversation but she glared at them as they began to talk to one another.

Jefferson started, "What should we do? There isn't enough magic here to send us back. We're stuck here."

"I think you're right. She isn't going to be able to send us back. We are going to have to live here in this miserable town until nothing less than a miracle happens," Dr. Whale grumbled.

"What should we do with her, then? Take her back to the prison?"

"No! Are you out of your mind? The prince will be furious if he finds out we have her. You saw what happened earlier yesterday? The prince nearly broke my jaw when he saw me with her. No. We need to keep her here for a while."

"Should we kill her? We can get rid of the Evil Queen forever, and then we will know for sure that this entire town will be safe from her."

"Not yet. Let's see how the next few days play out. Perhaps, its possible that she could be of use to us in the future."

"How long is that tranquilizer going to last, Dr. Whale?"

"It should last another several hours. She will be able to move, but her physical strength won't return for a while. Besides, I have several more doses in my pocket in case we need it."

Dr. Whale and Jefferson sat next to each other up against the wall for several minutes, still trying to recover from their exhausting stint ransacking the vault. They said nothing to each other for a long time, but they both kept staring at Regina and occasionally staring back at each other.

Jefferson whispered softly to Dr. Whale, not daring to look at him. "It's a shame that a woman who is so beautiful is so evil."

"Agreed."

"You know, it has been a long time since I have been with any woman. My wife died only a few years after Grace was born."

"Don't tell me that you are considering, what I think that you are considering." Dr. Whale glared at Jefferson. "If we did that, we would be no better than she is."

"Don't tell me that you haven't even considered it. Look at her, look at the opportunity that we have. She is evil, and what we would do to her is far less than any of the crimes that she has committed. Besides, its not like anybody in this town really cares about her. The charming prince is furious with her, and I am sure that he is reuniting with his princess at this very moment."

Dr. Whale was in a state of exhaustion from the day's events. He knew what Jefferson was asking wasn't right, but at this point he felt nothing for the Queen, and was too exhausted to continue arguing with Jefferson.

He opened up his flak of whiskey and took a drink of it. He then nodded his head slightly in an approving matter, but refusing to say anything.

Regina was still sitting on a red cushioned bench against the wall. She could tell by the way they were talking and looking at her that something was about to happen, but she couldn't make out what they were saying. Then, Jefferson slowly stood up. He started to undo the belt buckle off of his pants and slipped the belt out of it's holdings. He took a drink out of Dr. Whale's flask and handed it back to him. He felt guilty about what he was planning on doing, but disappointment mixed with anger resulted in having close to zero sympathy for this woman.

Regina looked up at him with fear in her eyes, as she realized what was about to take place.

"Jefferson, whatever you are thinking about doing, its not worth it. I will tell David, and then what will happen to Grace? She will truly be without a father, then."

Jefferson said nothing, but contemplated what she had just said.

"Regina, I am tired of waiting. I am tired of waiting for Grace. I am tired of waiting to fall in love again and to have a family. You can make me happy, even if only for a short while."

"This? This won't make you happy. This will only bring you more pain down the road. People call me the Evil Queen because of all of the terrible decisions that I made. I justified them though, at the beginning, just like you are doing now. Don't go down the same path that I did."

Jefferson paused for a long moment. Regina thought that he might have changed his mind after a while and let out a deep sigh.

Jefferson then cleared out a spot on the floor of the vault and put down a blanket that had been ransacked.

"Jefferson, no. Please don't do this" she pleaded. Tears that had been welling in her eyes suddenly spilled down her cheeks.

He gently grabbed her and made her lie down on the blanket. It was easy since the drug had only partially worn off.

"If you lie still, I promise I won't hurt you," Jefferson stated softly. He felt that it was the least he could do and that assuaged his guilt slightly.

Regina knew that fighting him would be worthless, but she place the palms of her hands against his chest anyways and tried to push his weight off of her. As he moved on top of her, he started kissing her neck softly. If he was going to do this, he wanted to enjoy every last minute of it, and not rush through.

As he started kissing her neck, Regina cried softly. Everything about him revolted her. Not wanting to look at either of them, she turned her head and stared at a spot on the wall.

—

David and Emma arrived at the vault, and David immediately jumped out of the truck not even bothering to shut his car door. The door to the vault was open, so he and Emma entered the vault with their guns held out in front of them.

Emma heard a soft noise coming from down the hallway as they tiptoed through the vault. "David, did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Listen."

David listened and he heard soft cries coming from down the hallway. In these soft cries, he heard traces of Regina's voice.

He then heard Jefferson's muffled voice. "Just relax, and you won't feel a thing."

At that response, David ran to the room that contained Jefferson, Regina, and Emma.

He grabbed Jefferson by the shirt and threw him against the wall. Emma instantly went to the mayor's side and found her fully clothed but her entire body shivering and trembling.

David started punching him until blood was spewing from Jefferson's nose and he was unconscious. Emma came and pulled David away from Jefferson's unconscious body.

"David. Stop! Look at him. He is unconscious. He can't hurt anybody anymore. Let me handle him and Dr. Whale. Regina needs you."

Regina. He was pulled from his blinding rage and ran over to Regina's side and fell to her on the floor.

"Regina. What happened? What did he do to you? Are you hurt?" David was frantically asking questions trying to assess her condition. He looked her body up and down, and only found a minor cut on her forehead from the altercation earlier at the police station.

Regina only whispered to him, "David, please don't let him do it. Please save me." Her body was profoundly trembling and in this moment, his only concern was for her welfare.

He wrapped her in the blanket that was on the floor and carried her to his truck. Since Emma had the situation under control, he called for back up, and waited only moments for them to arrive.

David had Regina lay down in the front seat with her head on his lap as he drove to her house. He stroked her hair as she continued to shiver, making every attempt possible to offer her comfort.


	5. Chapter 5

David pulled up to Regina's house. It was now early evening. The sun had started to set and the sky had turned beautiful shades of orange and purple. He glanced over at Regina whose shaking had reduced slightly but he could still see her body quiver ever so slightly. He didn't know what else to do with her but take her inside. He couldn't take her to a hospital, and he couldn't bear to take her back to the police station. Not after he promised nothing would happen to her and then she was almost assaulted.

Regina had been quiet the entire way home. She was exhausted and emotionally withdrawn. Her love for David reached a high point this afternoon. Even after everything that she had done to him, he rescued her from a terrible fate. She wanted him to embrace her, love her, and be with her tonight. She didn't want him to leave her alone. She was tired of that.

This wasn't just David anymore, though. David and Prince Charming were one in the same. Now, Snow had as much right to him as she did, even more so since she was his true wife. As much as she wanted to be with David, she knew that he had a responsibility to Snow and that more likely than not he loved her and would choose her.

—

Regina still was under the influence of the tranquilizer and he knew that it was difficult for her to move around. He got out of his truck and walked to the passenger side.

Softly he said, "Let's get you into the house and into bed. You have had a rough few days, and you need to rest." He was about to pick her up when she put her hands up in front of her body as if to resist his movements.

He gave her a confused glance. "Regina, there is no way that you can walk. You can barely sit up by yourself. For once, don't be stubborn and let me help you."

Her watery eyes looked away from him, ashamed. Here she was supposed to be the most powerful sorceress in all the lands, and she can't even walk by herself.

"It will be okay. I won't tell anyone." He gave her a slight smile and she nodded her head in agreement.

David carried her upstairs to her bedroom. As soon as he entered, he remembered all of the nights that he had spent there with her. He was happy then. He might even say those were some of the happiest nights of his life. He sat her down gently on the bed. He took his shoes off and climbed in the other side of the bed. He gathered her into his arms, and they lay there silently.

"David," she spoke in a barely audible whisper, "are you still angry with me?"

After a long pause, he finally replied, "Today, no."

When he thought she was asleep, he carefully placed the covers over her and climbed out of bed. He stepped outside of the bedroom and shut the door to make a phone call.

After he shut the door, Regina opened her eyes, intent on listening to his phone conversation.

"Emma. What's going on? Where is Dr. Whale and Jefferson?

(Long pause) "Thank you. I will deal with them tomorrow. You'd better come, too. I can't guarantee their safety if I have to interrogate them by myself."

(Long pause) "Are you kidding? There is zero chance that I am going to be taking her back to that prison cell. And I am for sure not leaving her in the same prison cells as those two. Besides, she isn't a threat to anybody at this moment."

"Don't worry about it. I will stay with her tonight, she is sleeping right now. Nothing will happen."

After he hung up with Emma, he called Snow to make sure that she knew what had happened today.

 _—-"David? What's going on? Where are you?"_

—"I am at Regina's house. A lot has happened since I left. Dr. Whale and Jefferson kidnapped her from the sheriff's station this morning, and when I found them, Jefferson had Regina pinned to the floor…kissing her." David could hear an audible gasp escape her after he said that last part. As much as she disliked Regina, she did not wish that type of suffering upon anybody. That was what he loved about her. In the bedroom, Regina let out a soft cry after he told Snow what had happened. Having him confirm it in words was worse than thinking about it, it seemed.

 _—"Is she okay? Where is she now?"_

"Fortunately, I beat Jefferson into a bloody pulp before anything too serious had happened. I took her back to her house, so that she could rest and recover. I think I am going to stay with her tonight. She doesn't need to be alone.

—Snow hated herself for saying this, but she went ahead and said it anyways. _"David, I know that she is hurting, but I am really…not comfortable with you staying with her tonight. Can you find someone else to do it? Maybe Emma?"_

—David's face contorted in disbelief. He couldn't believe that Snow would be so selfish to ask that. Regina had almost been assaulted, and she was worried that he might sleep with her tonight. "Snow, you can't be serious?…eh, nothing is going to happen, I promise you. I am just going to make sure that she is okay, nothing more."

These words crushed Regina. He had chosen Snow. Not that she ever thought if given the choice, he would choose her. Still though, it hurt her to know that the man she loved was only here to fulfill his civic duty, and then he would leave her as soon as she was stable. She would be all alone, once again.

 _—"Okay, David. I trust you. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help."_

With that, they said their good-byes and hung up the phone. He felt a little irritated by Snow's response. He couldn't believe that she didn't trust him to at the very least not take advantage of someone so vulnerable.

He heard her sniffle and he walked over and knelt down by the side of her bed. Her eyes were so beautiful. Even after the 2 most enduring days and through tears, he noted how beautiful she was. The moonlight illuminated her skin and her dark-colored eyes were deep and profound. As she lay there, he brushed away her tears with the soft stroke of his thumb.

"Tell me. Why are you crying?" David asked.

"You chose her," was her only response.

David sighed, "Yes, I did… But I will keep my promises to you from this moment, forward. I will do everything in my power to keep you from harm's way. As much pain as you have caused all of us, Regina, today has shown me that I still…love you. I don't know how to reconcile that yet, because I am conflicted. I love you, but at the same moment, I still am furious with what you have done. I cannot forgive you for that, not yet."

"You have been through a terrible ordeal today, and I want to say that I am so sorry that I left you alone, by yourself, defenseless. I was so angry with you, and I didn't know what to do with all of that anger. What happened today with Dr. Whale and with Jefferson was my fault, and I can barely ask myself for forgiveness, let alone you."

At David's admission, Regina let out deep and powerful sobs. There were so many things to cry about, she couldn't even pinpoint what was making her so upset.

David pulled her up into a sitting position and had her rest her face in the crook of his neck. He wanted to comfort her. He hated seeing her in such pain and distress. He hoped that crying would make her feel better. They sat there for a long while. He started to rub circles on her back, and this small gesture brought her much needed comfort and relief. He continued rubbing her back until the crying had ceased.

"David, I want you to know how much I do love you, and want to be with you. And, I am so sorry for what has happened. I promise though, I have changed."

He knew those words would come out eventually, but he still wasn't prepared for a response. "I believe you." He knew that was not what she wanted to hear, but at this point, he could not leave Snow. She had done nothing wrong.


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning, David got up early to make breakfast for Regina. He made her favorite breakfast: fruit salad served with apple pancakes. He thought back to several weeks ago:

 _"mmmm…These apple pancakes are delicious, Regina. Where did you learn to cook so well?" David had a huge grin on his face as he ate his apple pancakes._

 _-"Thank you, David. It's actually an old family recipe. They are my favorite."_

He wanted her to know, that despite how angry he was with what she had done, he still cared about her. In truth, he wanted to make her happy. David knew that between Rumplestilskin and her mother, she could have turned out to be a lot worse. They had corrupted her, which sent her down that evil road. Of course, as an adult she could have made a lot better choices. His mind went back and forth between these thoughts. When he finished making breakfast, he decided that she was a complicated woman, it was a complicated situation and the best thing to do was to just leave it at that. His heart was telling him that she had changed, and that he should focus on that.

He went up the stairs carrying her breakfast and entered her bedroom. She was sitting up in her bed, looking at a photo of Henry that was sitting on her bedside table. They had taken this photo several years ago at the beach. They were so happy that day. She was smiling at the photo when she heard David knock on the bedroom door to get her attention. She looked at him, and the breakfast he held in his hand.

"David? You're still here? I thought you had left already." She was clearly surprised that he had stayed, which broke his heart a little bit.

He explained, "No. I thought that you needed to have something to eat, so I made you your favorite." She looked at the plate he brought her, with her mouth slightly open.

"David, thank you. I don't know what to say." It was true. Here he was, being so kind and considerate to her, even after all that she had done. What could she say to that? She felt so undeserving of his kindness.

He sat the tray down on her lap. "When is the last time that you have eaten?" he asked her casually.

"I'm not sure. I haven't really had much of an appetite the last few days."

"Regina, you need to take care of yourself. That is only going to make you feel worse."

"I know. But my throat is also still sore from the other day. It hurts a little to swallow."

"Stay here. I am going to go down stairs to find you some pain medication."

When he returned he gave her the pain medication, which she swallowed hastily.

After several moments of silence, she asked him a question that had burning her mind all morning. "Are you going to take me back to the sherif's station today?"

"No. I told Emma that we would be staying here for a few days. Together. I promised you once that I would not let anybody hurt you, and I intend to keep that promise. Throwing you back in that jail cell with Jefferson and Dr. Whale would be a terrible idea, for obvious reasons." He paused for a minute to give her an opportunity to say something. When she said nothing, he continued. "Today, I just want you to rest. You have been through a lot." Slowly, he raised his hand toward her cheek and used the back of his hand to caress it softly.

"I am going to draw you a bath, so you can relax." She nodded her head slightly in agreement, but didn't say anything as he got up. She needed a bath, if for no other reason to get clean. Hopefully she could clear her mind for a while.

While David was getting her bath ready, she reeled through the events of yesterday. She also imagined what was going to happen in the future. She was conflicted on whether or not she should use these opportunities alone with David to pursue him. She wanted to, so very much, but if he rejected her attempts, it would be even more painful than it already was. She remembered back to his phone conversation last night with Snow.

 _"nothing is going to happen, I promise you. I am just going to make sure that she is okay, nothing more."_

There was really no chance for them. He was the true love of Snow White. It would be idiotic of her to try to continue a relationship with him. Even though he had shown her love and affection since the incident yesterday, she knew that to continue anymore would just bring her more misery down the road. Last night, David told her that he still loved her. However, Prince Charming loves Snow White, and in the end that is all that really counted.

David did a wonderful job of setting the bath up just the way she liked it. He filled the bathtub with her favorite bath salts and laid out a fresh towel for her. He looked at her staring down at the bathtub. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Regina stared at the giant bathtub. The sides of the bathtub went up to nearly her waist. She knew that excruciation pain would follow any attempt that she made to get in it. "My muscles are really sore from everything that has happened the past few days. I think it might be too painful for me to get into the bathtub. I'm sorry you went to so much trouble. Thank you for getting it ready though, David. It looks wonderful."

"Regina, if you need help…"

"No, David. It's fine. I will just take a shower."

"Regina, it's okay. Let me help you. It's not like you are hiding anything that I haven't seen before." He gave her a reassuring smile, which she returned. However, it was obvious to him that she was nervous about it.

He helped her undress, avoiding touching her to the extent possible. Every time that he touched her, he felt a surge of warmth travel through his body. Now that she was essentially off limits, her touch was even more electrifying.

When she had finished undressing, he put a hand on her bare shoulder and gently stroked down her arm. He made a mental note that he should have let her try to undress herself. This was far too tempting of a situation. He moved her hair to the side, and placed a warm, wet kiss on the back of her neck. He only did it once. Just to see how she would respond. When he finished she turned around to him, an eye brimming with a tear. "David, please…this is painful enough as it is."

"I know. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that." David wasn't sure why he did that in the first place. He told his wife, promised her, that nothing would happen between him and Regina.

He gently assisted her into getting into the bathtub.

"Let me know if you need anything," he said on his way out.

Regina sat in the bathtub for a long time, enjoying being consumed by the warm water. She felt relaxed and at peace for the first time in days. She spent her time reflecting on what had happened the past few days and her prospects for happiness in the future.

"Will I ever find happiness in my life or am I doomed to live in misery forever?" She thought about this question over and over again. It was hard to have hope after all that had happened.

When the water began turning cold, she thought it would be a good time to ask David to help her get out of the bathtub.

"David?" she yelled. When she didn't hear anything she called his name again. "David?"

Several moments later, David rushed into the bathroom He looked panic stricken and she realized that he probably thought that she was in trouble. "What happened? Are you okay?" he said out of breath. He had ran up the stairs to her bathroom as fast as possible when he heard her yell for him.

"No, nothing David. I am fine. I just needed help getting out of the bathtub." He looked terrified and she felt guilty for causing him such distress.

He gently helped her out of the bathtub, and he couldn't help but think how normal it felt. Here she was, the "Evil Queen", standing in front of him unclothed, and it felt…normal. It felt like they had been together forever, and this was just another day. Which, after the last several months, was true.

He then handed her a fresh, warm towel, and a set of grey silk pajamas. "Pajamas, David? Its daytime."

"I know. I just wanted to make sure that you were comfortable after…everything that happened." His voice trailed off at those words. He didn't want to bring up the incident anymore than absolutely necessary. He left the bathroom and sat on the bed thinking about their complicated relationship.

Regina came out of the bathroom dressed and dry. He noted how beautiful she looked. He got up from the bed and unfolded the soft bedding. He helped her onto the bed and made sure she was comfortable.

There was a long, awkward silence. Neither of them was unsure of what they should say or how they should react around each other. David decided to be the first one to break the silence. "What can I do to help you feel better?" Truly, David wanted to know. He didn't know if she wanted to talk, or to cry, or to be left alone.

"Maybe…maybe we could talk," she said softly.


	7. Chapter 7

David braced himself for what would surely be a very emotional conversation. "Okay. What do you want to talk about?"

Regina thought for a second about how she wanted to approach this conversation. "Choose me. Please, choose me."

David let out a long sigh. Not prepared for such a blunt statement, he stood up abruptly from his spot on the bed, and turned toward the window. Before he could walk away, Regina grabbed his hand and he turned his head slightly to look down at her.

"I know that you and Snow are married and that you love her…but, I also know that you love me, too. And I have no right to ask you this, but I am going to anyways. I love you too much to not even try."

"David, I want to be a good person. I want to show you that I can change. I love you, and I will do anything to be deserving of your love."

This plea broke his heart. He knew that she had suffered from years of loneliness and personal trauma. He also felt a surge of renewed hope. For what seemed like forever, Snow and him wanted her _to want_ to change. They didn't need her to be perfect, but they wanted her to _try_.

He sat back down on the bed and took her hand in his, placing his hands on her face and using his thumb to softly stroke the outline of her cheeks. He tilted her forehead towards his slightly to where only there foreheads were touching. There was a long pause while he contemplated what he should say. There were too may thoughts going through his head at once. The anxiety built up in him, to where he could no longer think about anything rationally. Throwing logic out the window, he gently moved his chin towards her lips. He was tired of thinking and analyzing the logistics of their relationship. Instead, David chose to do what felt right to him, natural. He continued moving his lips towards hers, but made a slight pause before they touched. Then, he placed a gentle kiss on her lips, and retracted. She returned the kiss with a soft kiss of her own. The kiss became deeper and he used the tip of his tongue to taste her. After several more moments, he pulled-away and stared down at his lap for a while, contemplating what he should do next.

"Let me talk to Snow," he whispered.

"Really?" she exclaimed. The smile that spread across her face was the most beautiful, enchanting image that he had ever laid eyes upon.

He returned a bittersweet smile of his own. David felt relieved that he had finally accepted that he wanted her. However, despite 28 years of separation, Snow was his wife and he loved her. He didn't want to hurt her. Now, instead of returning home to her as promised, he would be returning only to tell her that he wanted to be with Regina. He knew that it was not going to go well, with Snow or with the townspeople.

"Regina, I love you. I know that you are not the same person as you were in the Enchanted Forest. But…you have to promise me that you will _try_." He raised his voice slightly. "That means no more secrets, and no more manipulations. I don't expect you to be perfect, but you have to learn to control yourself."

"What if I fail…" She was so happy that David was giving her another chance. But she really wondered if she would be able to make it. It had been a long time since she had been living without any secrets.

"Then, I will help you. But I can't help you unless you're willing to help yourself first."

"You would do that? You would be willing to help me, even if I mess up?"

"Yes. Because I do love you."

"I promise that I will try, David." She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck breathing in his scent. He put her arms around her waist and he placed a kiss on her soft hair.

—-

Regina had fallen asleep again. After her breathing became steady and David knew she was in a deep sleep, he wrote her a note and left it on her bedside table, explaining his absence and the location of a gun in case she needed it.

He made sure the entire house was completely secure, before he got into his truck and left. He need to talk to Snow. David had no idea how to explain any of this to her, but he knew that it would be better for everyone to do it now, than to wait in a long, drawn out process.

David knocked on the door to Snow's apartment, and when Snow opened the door, she jumped into his arms. "I'm so happy that you're back, David." David didn't say anything, but gave her a small smile to acknowledge her happiness. Snow immediately had a sinking feeling in her stomach, sensing David's body as tense and a little rigid.

"David, what's wrong? Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, yeah…I'm fine," he choked out nervously. "I was actually hoping that we could talk."

Snow closed her eyes shut, and she could feel her heart beating inside her chest. She had a sensation of instant regret, because she knew what he was about to say. The princess knew that she should have insisted that her prince return home, instead of caring for the Evil Queen. It didn't matter how inured or broken she was, Regina was still the most manipulative woman in any land.

Still, with a sliver of hope, she let David continue as if nothing was abnormal. "Sure, sure. Of course. Is Regina, okay?"

David was unsure of what to say to that. Physically, she was stable and getting better. Emotionally, she was still a bit of a train wreck. "Well…no, not really. Physically she is okay, but she still has a lot of trauma that she needs to work through."

Snow thought that the conversation was improving. Perhaps, the prince had no intention of ending their relationship, tonight. She was praying this was not the direction it was headed.

"I understand. Regina is strong though. She has been through worse, and has still made it."

Snow continued. "Are you planning on checking on her anymore today?"

David glanced at the ground and began. "Yes. That's what I wanted to talk to you about, actually."

This was it. Snow could tell by his nervous posture and slight fidgeting that he was anxious about talking to her.

She didn't want to repel David, so she started out in a very calm and even voice. "David, before you begin, I think I know what you're going to say." She paused before she spoke again, "Please…please think about this a while longer. I am you wife…and she, she is the Evil Queen."

David let out a frustrated sigh, but let he continue.

"Do you even remember anything that she has done to us? Our _daughter_ has been an orphan for the past 28 years, because of a curse that she placed on the _entire realm._ She has tried to kill both of us multiple times. She has tortured and murdered possibly thousands of innocent people. How can you possibly forgive her for all of that and tell me that you love her?"

"I can't explain it Snow. I can't let go of my feelings for her. And seeing her the past few days has changed me. You're right. She has done some terrible things…things that I still can't forgive or forget. But seeing her the past few days, so vulnerable…it has consumed me. And us…you are my beautiful wife. I love you _so_ much. But, it has been 28 years. And even though time has stood still here in Storybrooke, I can't help but feel distant from you."

Snow was too hurt to continue this conversation. She didn't have enough energy to fight him. "So…you choose her."

David, not wanting to dance around the situation just replied with a soft, "Yes."

Snow let a stray tear fall down her cheek. David moved to comfort her, but she pushed her hand out in front of her, signaling to him to keep his distance. "David…please. I think I just want to be alone right now."

'"Okay. I'll go," he spoke again softly. David stood up and slowly made his way towards the door. He put his hand on the door knob to her apartment, but before he opened it, he paused, asking himself if he was making the right decision. There were so many reasons for him to change his mind. In the end though, his heart was telling him to go find Regina. He then opened the doorknob, and walked out of the apartment.

As he walked out of the apartment, he made a silent prayer that Regina would change and that she would try her best to stop using magic and to be a good person. He did not make his decision to choose Regina lightly. Snow was a good person and it killed him to do this to her.


	8. Chapter 8

As David drove back to Regina's house, he noticed the rain was starting to pick up. They sky reflected about how he felt at the moment…depressed. After waiting for 28 years to be with his wife and daughter again, he abandoned them. David wanted to be there for them. Most of all, he wanted _to want_ to be there with them. He was weak though. He wanted Regina, and the new freedom he had to pursue her burned a passion inside him.

When he pulled into Regina's driveway, he noticed that the rain had really picked up. It was pouring and there was a strong wind gusting. He noted the sound of the gusts as they made ear-piercing whistles. When he exited his car, he was surprised by the force of the wind. He put his hands up to his face trying to protect himself from windburns. After entering through the front door of the mansion, he turned to face the mirror and noted how much the storm had soaked him. It was violent outside now, with leaves and debris flying across the lawn effortlessly.

He went upstairs hoping to find Regina still asleep. When he entered her room, he noticed that she was not there. David glanced around the room and then checked the bathroom and the kitchen. She was no where in plain sight. "Regina? Are you here? Where are you?" He yelled for her several times as he continued searching through the house. He went back to her bedroom to double-check. That is when he noticed the daily newspaper laying out on the bedspread. He glanced at it and a title immediately stuck out to him "Storybrooke Doctor Accused of Kidnapping and Assault."

David instantly became worried. He feared that Regina had become upset from the content of the article and had done something. What she had done he was unsure. However, he wanted to find her whereabouts ASAP. She did not need to be out and about in such a turbulent storm.

David started dialing her phone again and again. Perhaps her phone was on silent or vibrate and he just needed to keep calling until she noticed it. He paced back and forth in her bedroom with his phone in hand, until he paused to glance out the window. "Where are you?" he asked himself.

As he was looking out the window, he noticed her figure kneeling next to her apple tree. David raced down the steps of the house and ran outside to meet her.

When he reached her, he saw her figure slumped forward slightly. The calves of her body were tucked underneath her, where she was sitting on them. Her chin pointed down, and her eyes closed, he wondered what she was doing just sitting in such a violent storm.

"Regina! Regina! What are you doing?"

"David?" Her voice was soft and weary, but had an element of sweetness to it. She turned her head slightly to look at him, but collapsed on the ground.

David wanted to check her over, but he had no time. He needed to get her inside to safety. He picked her up and placed her head in the crook of his neck as he rushed to carry her inside. David noted how icy her skin was.

Without hesitation, he placed her on the couch in their living room and removed her wet clothing. Thinking about her low body temperature, he did all that he could as fast as he could. The prince wrapped her body in warm blankets, and started a fire that blazed in the fireplace.

"David?" She startled after several moments. "What's going on?"

He breathed a sigh of relief after he realized that she was awake. "I don't know. You tell me. I found you outside next to your apple tree. What were you doing?"

She turned her head so as not to look at him, ashamed that he once again had to rescue her. "Thinking." Her voice was shaky and quivered slightly.

"Regina," he said with the upmost care and concern in his voice. "I saw the newspaper laid out on the bed." He paused, not knowing what to say. "If you want to talk about it, I will listen. It was terrible what they did."

"I don't know if I can. It's too painful. I just want to forget it."

David sat beside her on the sofa and they maneuvered themselves until Regina was resting against David's chest. For a long time, they laid still like that. It was comfortable and made both David and Regina sleepy.

With the fire ablaze in the background, Regina finally spoke up.

"I felt afraid…in so many years, I have never really felt _afraid_. I knew you were so angry with me. I thought maybe you wouldn't care and that I would be all alone."

"Regina, I can't tell you how sorry I am that you felt that way. I can never forgive myself. The anger I felt after finding out about the curse consumed me, and I wasn't thinking about how much you had changed."

Regina wiped a single tear from her cheek, but continued. "After you rescued me, I felt love in my heart like I never had before. The connection I felt with you was so strong. But now, I have a constant fear that you will realize that you made a mistake and leave me all alone again."

"Regina, I don't want you to be alone. I never wanted that. Not even when you tried to kill Snow and I. We just wanted you to be happy again, really. I, too, have fears and doubts. I want to believe that you have changed, and I have great faith that you have, but it is going to take time for me to have complete trust in you. Trust that you are not going to stray off the path again."

"You said that you wouldn't leave me, though. That if I made a mistake, you would help me."

"I did say that, and I meant it. My point is, that we both want to be together, but that doesn't mean this relationship is going to be easy, for either of us. We are both going to have to work together to make this relationship work."

—-

The next several weeks went by rather quietly. David had managed to get Regina to reluctantly attend therapy sessions with Archie. David and Snow had managed to avoid each other. Daily life had managed to become routine, and it was a breath of fresh air to not have the daily stress of the curse and magic.

It was Wednesday and Regina decided to take flowers to her father's grave. David had to work late, and Regina had been alone all day. She didn't want to be alone anymore, even if she could only find comfort in the spirit of her father.

She placed the flowers on her father's grave. "Daddy, I am so sorry for what I did to you. You don't know how much I truly love you. You were the only one who stood up for me, until David." She kept her hand on her father's tomb and silently reflected on her memories with him…especially the last few days they had spent together. "How did I get to this spot?" she thought to herself. "How could I have let myself fall so far?"

Hesitantly, she got up and started to head towards the door. It was getting late and David probably was wondering where she was at. As she headed towards the exit to her vault, she paused momentarily and stood at the door to the one room that she had not visited in years. The room that contained Daniel's perfectly preserved body.

Regina had a moment of conflicting thoughts within herself. She was terrified what she would see if she entered through that door. She knew that the magic that kept Daniel's body preserved was limited in Storybrooke. What if she entered that room to find a glass coffin with a disfigured and badly deteriorated body? The thought was disturbing and too much to bear. She thought that she shouldn't go in, just in case this was the situation. Regina was afraid of the emotional pain and heartache that would follow at such a grizzly sight.

However, she had avoided that room for years. Maybe she would enter the room, and his body would still be whole. If that were the case, she could rest easy knowing that he was okay. Perhaps, there might even be hope he could still be revived. She would only know if she entered that room and saw for herself what lie within.

She took her ring of keys out, and placed one gently into the keyhole. Slowly, with a slight tremble of her hand, she turned the doorknob. When the door was cracked slightly open and she could still not see anything within the room, she wrapped her hand around the doorframe. Regina hesitated for a moment, closing her eyes. Holding her breath, she opened the door slowly and peeked through the door. What she saw, was Daniel's perfectly preserved body lying within the coffin. She opened the door wide and reached out her hands to touch the , but not touching the coffin. She sobbed tears of joy when she realized that his body was still in the perfect condition that she had left it in. She sobbed tears of sorrow because after so many years apart, she finally was seeing the handsome face and soft hands of her fiancé.

There was a stool sitting right next to the coffin. Regina sat there and carefully examined his body. As she looked at his hands, she remembered how they once had slipped a ring on her finger. If only she could touch him once again.

Regina contemplated what she was about to do next. She unlatched the lock of of the coffin lid and lifted it up. Tears were streaming down her face as she gently swept her fingertips across his cheeks. She stroked his beautiful brown hair and held his hand. She couldn't help the steady stream that flowed so effortlessly.

After several moments, Regina felt a tender hand on one of her shoulders. She jumped a little and turned around.

"Mother," she whispered with a small rasp in her throat. "How…how are you here?"


	9. Chapter 9

"Mother," she whispered with a small rasp in her throat. "How…how are you here?" Regina turned around completely as she stood up. Her face had pure shock written on her intense gaze.

"Regina," Cora started. She held up her hand to touch her daughter's face. She had missed Regina so much for years. Her eyes watered at seeing what a beautiful young woman was standing in front of her, her own flesh and blood.

However, Regina was terrified and angry at the same time. Here she was, mourning the man who she had not seen in years…and his muderer was standing in front of her. As Cora tried to touch her face, Regina turned her head and put her hands up in front of her body to protect herself.

"Regina, I came to tell you that I love you. I know why you sent me through the looking glass, and it's okay."

"I think it's not alright, Mother. Look at Daniel." Regina raised her voice and fought back tears. She knew that the weeks of peace and quiet were definitely at an end now. "Look at what you did to him."

"Regina, please. I know what I did was wrong. I wanted you to have the best life, a life without poverty. You were so young when you were in love with Daniel. I thought I was protecting you."

"I. Loved. Him."

"I know you did. And I regret that decision everyday. I had no intention of making you miserable, though. You have to believe that."

Regina scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"You have lived your whole life as a royal. Your father was a prince. I, though…I lived the first 25 years of my life in poverty. There were times when we had nothing to eat, and we were starving. Rags were my clothes, and my whole life I only dreamt of being royalty. When I think about how miserable my life was Regina, I wanted to save you from that. Even if that meant you hated me for the rest of our lives."

Regina's demeanor softened at her mother's words. She remembered her mother telling her about her impoverished life in the mills and her abusive father.

"But Regina, I am asking you to please give us another chance. I will do anything to earn your love again. It has been over 30 years since the last time that I have seen you. Everyday I have dreamt of seeing your beautiful face, and I just had to come see you. I love you. Please give us another chance."

Regina considered her mother's words. She knew she shouldn't give in to her mother's affections. It would surely only lead to heartache down the road. But right now, she craved companionship and her mother had spoken the words that she had been longing for. Perhaps, this was an opportunity to have everything she ever wanted: David, Henry, and her mother.

"Mommy…" Regina's voice had a child-like quality to it in that moment. She leaned over to her mother and hugged her. Regina sobbed into her mother's shoulders while Cora soothed her. Cora stroked her hair and embraced her tightly. She really did regret how she had treated Regina when Daniel had died. "Shhh…I am here now, and I will always be here for you."

—-

Regina and Cora had moved themselves to Regina's private living room within her vault.

"Mother, I still don't understand. How can you be here?" Regina asked.

"I found a magic bean that led me to you."

"Where will you stay?"

"Well, Regina. I don't want to rudely invite myself over to your house, but I was hoping that we could live together for a while. To catch up."

Regina considered this. Certainly the mansion was large enough for her. Regina had plenty of unused spare bedrooms. Then she thought about David. Regina cringed at the thought of him. If David knew that she was spending time with her mother, he would be furious.

She thought about this for a while. Regina had promised David that she would try to change, and not keep secrets from him. And she intended to keep that promise. However, she just needed a little bit of time to gently ease him into the idea.

"Mother, there is something that I have to tell you."

"What is it, darling?" Cora asked concernedly.

"Snow's prince, David, and I are seeing each other," Regina replied matter-of-factly.

"Oh, Regina" Cora said disappointedly. "You are in a relationship with that shepherd?" Cora could not contain her disdain for him.

"Mother, please, you promised. If you want to be in my life, you're going to have to accept who I love, too. David is a good person, and I love him more than I have ever loved anyone. Promise me that you won't hurt him," Regina insisted.

"Of course," Cora stated. "I'm sorry. I just want what is best for you."

"He is what is best for me, mother. And I promised him that I would try to be a better person. If he knows that you are here, he won't let me see you. He won't understand."

"If you can't trust him enough to tell him the truth, do you really think that he is the best man for you?" Cora asked seriously.

"Yes. I just need some time to ease him into the idea. I will need to explain to him that you aren't the same person that you were in the Enchanted Forest."

Cora gave her a knowing look. Regina could see doubt written all over her face.

"It's not lying, Mother. It's a temporary avoidance of a sensitive subject."

Cora could see her daughter's anxiety over the subject. Regina started rubbing her head, indicating that she had a headache.

"Dear, it is obvious that you are upset and are in pain. Why don't you go ahead and heal yourself."

"I can't mother," Regina said in a slightly irritated voice. "I don't have magic anymore. And even if I did, its been 30 years. I am not sure I remember how to perform even simple spells anymore."

"Nonsense. There is plenty of magic here in Storybrooke. I can feel it in the air. Let me heal you, darling." Cora's voice was insistent, but Regina was determined. "No, mother. I can take Tylenol just like any other magic-less being."

"Darling, if you insist on recovering yourself, at least let me help you." Cora pulled out her spell book from behind her and showed it to Regina.

"All you need, is a little boost of magic to get it flowing again. You can heal yourself."

Regina stared at the book. It called to her. Magic was like an addiction. She had been very good the last 28 years, and she knew that any slip up could cost her her relationship with David.

"Oh no, mother. I can't. David would be furious. I promised him no magic."

Regina said the words that she knew she should say, but Cora knew her daughter. She wanted to use magic and could see the look of inclination on her face.

"Regina, David loves you. He would want you to feel better. What harm would it do? I know you want to."

Regina knew that she shouldn't, but she took the book from Cora's hands and opened it. After a moment of hesitation, she took a deep whiff of the book and could see the magic being absorbed into her body. Her eyes glowed purple, and she felt immediate relief of her headache.

Not long after though, she felt a pang of guilt. "If David finds out…" she thought to herself.

"Mother, you have to promise me that you won't tell David anything that has happened tonight!"

"Darling, you have nothing to worry about. It will be our secret."

Cora embraced her daughter, and Regina felt her anxiety float away, if only temporarily.


	10. Chapter 10

Regina opened her front door and stood in the grand entrance. As she placed her keys on the table, David ran up to her and squeezed her tightly. "Regina, where have you been? I was worried sick. I called 10 times and you didn't answer. I was about to send out a search party for you."

"I'm sorry, David. I went to my vault…to put flowers on my father's grave. I didn't realize it when I had left, but my phone died. I am terribly sorry to have worried you."

David let out a sigh of relief. "It's okay. Just next time, leave a note…please." The tone of his voice sounded slightly exasperated.

"Of course" she replied with a hint of guilt in her voice.

—-

When Regina woke up the next morning, she had another headache. "Really? Again?" she thought. She thought about getting some aspirin from her purse, but then she remembered that she had magic. She _could_ just magically heal herself. It was tempting. She didn't want to get out of bed and walk all the way downstairs. David was still sleeping next to her, and she also didn't want to disturb him. A little reluctantly, she gave in to her impulse. She held her hand above her head and felt her headache melt away. She let out a deep breath because the pain was gone. However, she did feel a little bit weary. Perhaps, she shouldn't have used magic again so close to the last time. It had been 30 years since she last used magic and it only made sense that she needed a little bit of time to adjust to it. "Oh well," she thought. "I guess I will just sleep it off."

Regina heard David get up out of bed. She was so tired though, she just continued in a state between sleep and consciousness. She heard David in the bathroom getting ready for work. When he finished, he tiptoed over to her side of the bed and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, " he whispered. "I have to leave before I am late for work. I'll see you this afternoon."

"Okay. Bye David. Love you," she said sleepily.

Another hour or so after David left, Regina was awoken by a knock on her bedroom door. Slowly, she saw the door creak open. "Mother," she said slightly annoyed to be awoken again. "What are you doing here? What if David sees you?"

"Don't worry about that dear. I am keeping tabs on the whereabouts of your shepherd."

"Still…what are you doing here? I told you to stay in my vault. What if someone sees you?"

"Regina, no one is going to see me. I transported myself here. I wanted to see you. I've missed you." She came down and sat on the edge of the bed, next to Regina. Regina turned her head and closed her eyes.

"What's wrong, dear?" Cora asked. She could tell that Regina was not feeling well.

"I had a headache, so I magically healed myself. But, then I felt like all of my strength had been drained from me."

"Oh, darling. I'm sorry. You know what you need? A boost of magic. That will help you feel better instantly." With that, Cora waived her hand and her spell book magically appeared in front of her. Regina looked at her intensely for a while. She knew she should stop using magic. The problems were becoming cyclical.

"I shouldn't" she groaned. "This is the 3rd time in less than 12 hours that I have used magic to solve a problem. David would be so disappointed."

"David, David, David…You should stop thinking about what he _wants_ all the time and what you _need_. You're miserable right now, Regina. I can tell. Let me help you, please. I hate seeing you like this."

Regina sighed, but took the book and opened it up to a page. She breathed in deeply the magic, and she felt the energy and life return to her body. It felt _so_ good, like experiencing fresh air for the first time.

"Darling, I am going to put this spellbook over here for you. If you need it again, it will be right here."

"Mother, no. Please take it away. Its too tempting for me to use it. I never should have began using magic again" Regina sulked.

Instead of arguing with Regina, Cora made the spell book disappear into thin air.

"Mother, let's go downstairs and have breakfast. I will go start cooking for us. Is there anything you want in particular?"

"That would be lovely, Regina. I am sure that whatever you make will be just fine. You go on downstairs and I will be down in just a second."

"Okay, I'll see you downstairs," Regina said as she left the room.

When Cora heard Regina was downstairs, she made the book reappear again with the wave of her hand. She looked around the bedroom for a place to hide the book where Regina would find it. Cora had no doubt that her daughter was suffering from a magical affliction. In a few hours, Regina would need a magical boost again or risk falling ill yet again. Eventually, when her magic had fully returned, she would no longer need these "doses" of magic. It had been 30 years that she had managed to go without magic, though. Cora wasn't sure how long it would take for Regina to regain control of her magic.

Cora wanted Regina's magic to return as soon as possible, and for that Regina needed to absorb magic on a regular basis. When Regina was powerful once again, they could use their combined strength to overcome the Dark One. Cora needed Rumplestilkskin to be gone. He was dangerous…both to her and to her daughter. They needed to get rid of him once and for all.

Cora finally decided on placing the spell book in a chest drawer that Regina would be certain to open. By the time Regina found the spell book, she would be in need of a magical dosage again. She took one last look around her daughter's room, and proceeded down the stairs to join her daughter for breakfast.

—

David came home that night exhausted. He walked in to the aroma of roast cooking and Regina standing in the kitchen standing over the stovetop. "I smell something amazing cooking."

"Roast. It should be done soon. How was your day at work?"

"I am not going to lie; it was a little rough." David walked over to stand behind Regina, who was still stirring the pot. He moved her hair to one side, and placed a kiss on her shoulder. " But that doesn't matter now, because I am here with you." Regina turned around and gave him a huge smile. She put her arms around his neck and placed a kiss on his lips. "I'm sorry David. Why don't we have dinner and you can tell me all about it."

David told Regina that he would be right back. He needed to wash up a little bit before dinner. This allowed Regina to finish preparing for dinner. She placed the dinner out on the dining room table, along with a bottle of wine. Regina thought this would be a perfect opportunity to show David how much she appreciated him. She decided to light some candles and put them on the table and gazed proudly at the dining room.

"Wow, Regina. This looks amazing." David's smile reached the corners of his eyes. He moved over to where she was standing and placed his hands on her hips and kissed her. "I love you so much Regina," David said in between kisses.

"David…the dinner is going to be cold by the time we eat," she mentioned.

Dinner was wonderful, and more than that, it was peaceful. It felt normal, and that is what Regina loved most about it. She loved knowing that David was going to be here tonight, and from then on.

"So…I hate to ruin our pleasant conversation, but I am curious. What happened at work today?"

David sighed. "Mr. Gold. He seriously assaulted Mr. French today and nearly killed him. It took both Emma and I to pull Mr. Gold off of him. Not a very pleasant day."

Regina became concerned. She hadn't thought about Mr. French in years. "Did he say why?"

"Apparently, Mr. Gold believes that Mr. French is responsible for the death of Belle."

Regina's eyes widened and her breathing ceased. She also had not thought about Belle in a long time, but Regina knew exactly what had happened to Belle. At the beginning of the curse, Regina had put her in the floor of the hospital basement. All this time, she had totally forgotten about Belle. She knew that she should say something to David. What would he think of her though? She had kept Belle a prisoner in a cell for nearly 30 years.

This thought, totally ruined Regina's appetite. She looked down at her plate and started moving nervously the food around. Her body started trembling slightly. David could tell that his previous comments about Belle and Mr. Gold had made Regina nervous. He probed the situation to try to get more information. David took her hand in his. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked softly, not wanting to scare her. In truth, he was scared because he could tell that she knew something about Belle's situation.

"David," Regina started nervously. "There is something that I have to tell you."

David braced himself for what he knew was going to be a confession. His heart started beating wildly in his chest, wondering what she had done this time, and his mind was already coming up with ways to fix it. Perhaps, they could say nothing to Mr. Gold. If Regina had killed her 30 years ago, there is no way that Mr. Gold would be able to figure that out now. They could just keep quiet about it.

"Belle…she is not dead." Relief and confusion immediately swirled around inside him. However, if she wasn't dead, than what had happened to her. "Do you know where she is, Regina?"

Regina took a deep breath and braced herself for David's reaction. "When I cursed the town, I put Belle in a cell…in the hospital basement. I wanted to keep her, to use as a bargaining chip against Rumplestilskin. But then, years passed and I…forgot about her."

David stood up and paced the room anxiously, but didn't say anything. "So, where is she now?" he finally said in an even tone.

"I am not sure. I haven't visited her in so long. I can't even remember how long it has been. But, I assume that she would still be in the hospital."

"You're mad, aren't you?" Regina asked him.

David had conflicting emotions. Technically this was something that she had done a long time ago, even though they were having to deal with it now. He tried to remain calm though.

"Regina, you kept her in a prison cell….for nearly 30 years. I have a right to be a little _upset_ by that information." He tried to not use inflammatory language, but still explain to her how he felt.

"We need to find her, before Mr. Gold does. Rumplestilskin has his magic and who knows what will happen if he finds out what you did to her."

"What are we going to do when we find her?" Regina asked.

"I…I don't know yet. But the humane thing to do right now is to get her out of that cell. You can't leave her in there any longer, Regina."

David stood up and got his coat. When he was ready to go, he looked for Regina who was still standing in the dining room, looking at the dinner she had prepared, sullenly.

He walked over and gave her a hug, as he knew that she felt terrible. "It's going to be okay. We're going to get through this." He gave her a light kiss on the lips.

"David, I am so sorry," she cried. David stroked her hair in an attempt to comfort her.

"You should go back to Snow," she attempted to tell him in between cries. "You would never have to worry about things like this with her. You don't deserve to be stuck with me."

"Regina, I love you, and that is not going to change. I want to be with _you_ , regardless."


	11. Chapter 11

David and Regina arrived at the hospital, ready to rescue Belle from her captivity. Regina had her elbow on the door of the car with her forehead resting in the palm of her hand. They both had remained silent on the drive over. The guilt that Regina felt about keeping Belle in captivity was overwhelming her. She didn't understand how David could still love her and want to be with her after this.

David got out of the car, but Regina had not moved. He opened the car door and knelt down next to her so that he was at her level. Her eyes were rimmed red and looked bleary. He held out his hand to her and after several moments of hesitation, she accepted. As they walked towards the inside of the building, he wrapped a hand around her waist and made some attempts to comfort her.

When they entered the basement of the hospital, they immediately saw the nurse that was in charge of this floor. When the nurse saw Regina and David, she greeted her with a simple "Your majesty." Regina said nothing but gave a slight nod of the head in order to acknowledge the greeting.

Knowing that Regina was too upset to speak much, David spoke up. "We are here to see Belle. Is she here?"

The nurse looked at Regina with knowing eyes, as if to ask permission. Regina again nodded her head to establish permission.

"She is down the hall. I will take you to her."

The nurse and David started to head down the hall, but Regina stayed behind. "Regina, are you coming?" David asked.

"I can't, David." He didn't argue with her. She looked so broken and fragile that he thought that he didn't think she would be much help. Additionally, David thought it would be an opportunity to speak with Belle without Regina being present. There were some hard truths that needed to be spoken about, and even though he knew Regina was a strong woman, he didn't want to subjugate her to even more emotional trauma than she was already enduring.

David turned back to Regina and wrapped his arms around her. "I am going to go talk to her. I will explain to her what has happened. I will be back when I am done." His voice was soft and it comforted Regina slightly. "Stay here, and I will be back soon."

Regina whispered an "Okay" and watched him go down the hall. She sat behind the nurse's counter and waited for David to return.

Belle had been sitting on her cot in the hospital cell, reading a book. She had finally remembered who she was, after almost 28 years. She had begged the nurse who was on the floor to let her go, but the nurse had insisted that she was ill and just needed to rest.

Her attention suddenly turned to the door which was opening for the first time in many years, it seemed. What she saw there was none other than the Prince.

"Charming," she said through bleary eyes. "Is it really you?" She quickly raised herself off the cot, ran over to him, and jumped into his arms.

David smiled at her, and opened his arms for her. "Yes, Belle. It really is."

"David, you don't know what has happened to me. The Evil Queen, she locked me in here. I don't even know how long it has been, but I thought that nobody would ever come for me. I thought that I would never be able to leave." Belle was nearly hysterical and couldn't seem to get the words out fast enough.

David took a deep breath. He knew that he would have to approach this situation with extreme caution and respect for what Belle had gone through.

"Belle, I understand. I am here to rescue, you. You have nothing to worry about. Let's sit down and I will tell you everything that has happened." Belle reluctantly sat down. She was caught in between because she wanted to leave this cell as soon as possible. However, she wanted to know what was going on just as much.

David proceeded to tell Belle everything that he knew about the curse, about Regina, and about what would be happening in the future.

Belle looked at him, stunned by the information. "David, are you telling me that you love her, the Evil Queen?"

"I know that it is hard to believe. She has changed though, she is not evil anymore. I am asking you to _please_ not say anything to Rumple about her involvement. I know that it is a lot to ask, but I am begging you. If not for her, do it for me." David was pleading with her. He knew that for Rumple to know what had happened, Regina would be in serious danger.

"David, he will know as soon as he sees me." She was trying to get David to see reality. It's not that she didn't have sympathy for him, but he needed to realize the inevitable truths. "We both know that there is only 1 person on this Earth that would have done this. He is not stupid, and he will know it, too. Not to mention that she is the sole person that _created_ this world."

David realized that she was right. He felt stupid for even considering that they would be able to hide this from the Dark One. A sigh of defeat left him.

"But David…I promise you that I will do my best to mitigate the situation. I will try to keep his anger at bay. But know that I am doing this for you, and not for her. I can never forgive her for these 28 wretched years of my life."

David hugged Belle and thanked her. "Come on, let's get you out of here," he said.

When David and Regina returned home, Regina immediately ran up the stairs towards the bedroom and shut the door.

He slowly followed her. When he reached the shut door, he heard Regina sobbing. He moved to open the door, but he thought the better of it. David thought that perhaps it would be good to giver her some space. He went downstairs and glanced at the dinner that she made that was still lying out on the table. "She was trying so hard," he thought.

David was conflicted. It was truly evil what she had done, locking up an innocent woman for nearly 30 years to use as a _potential_ weapon. He knew Regina had changed though, and it was obvious that she felt intense guilt for what she had done.

He cleaned up the dinner from the table, and made Regina a small snack of apples and peanut butter.

He brought it up to her and when he arrived at the closed door, David noticed that the crying had ceased.

He opened the door and saw her there wide-awake on the bed. "I brought you a snack," he said and offered her the plate. She took the plate. "Thank-you," she replied as she took an apple slice and started to nibble off of it.

After a long silence, David spoke up. "Regina, you're not that same person anymore."

"You keep saying that," she scoffed.

"I know that you are feeling terribly guilty, but I need you to focus." He needed her to be strong right now, and to snap out of this state of apathy. "Belle promised me that she would try to mitigate the effects of the situation with Mr. Gold, but you are in danger right now. He knows that she has been here for 28 years and that you have known that this entire time. He is not going to let that go so easily. We need to come up with a plan."

Regina thought about what he was saying. She wiped away her tears and started to explain to him. "David, I don't know how. If he has the magic of the Dark One, there is no way that I will be able to protect myself from him."

She scoffed. "I should have known that this perfect life the past few weeks would start crumbling…just like it always has done."

"Don't think like that. We have defeated evil before, without magic. There has to be something that we can do."

"What? I don't stand a chance against him."

"I don't know…but I will think of something. For right now, I will lock all the doors to this house and windows. I am not going to leave your side for a second until I know that you are safe."

"David, please promise me that you are not going to put yourself in harm's way. I can't bear the thought of losing you."

David took her hands in his and looked into her eyes. "I can't promise you that, and you know it. However, I can promise you that I will be extremely careful, and cautious."

Regina smiled at him. "I will never understand how you can love me so much."

David kissed Regina softly and moved his hands over her body. "Let me show you."

She returned his affections with a deep kiss that sent shivers through David's body. David took his hand and started to unbutton the blouse of Regina's shirt. For some reason, Regina felt nervous about being so intimate with David again. After all, this was the first time since the curse broke that he had initiated any form of sexual contact between the two of them.

She was also worried about David's slight change in personality. Overall, David and Prince Charming had the same characteristics and personality. However, she noticed that now with Prince Charming's memories, David had become slightly more aggressive than before and this concerned her. He was more authoritative and assertive. She then thought about the first few days after the curse had broken, when he had held his sword towards her.

As much as she loved, David, she wondered if he would be more aggressive in bed, too. She took his hand by the wrist and held it in place, not allowing him to go any further.

"What's wrong?" David asked. He was stunned by her actions. After everything that he went through with her, for her, she was pushing him away. What if he had been right all along? What if she really didn't love him, and was only using him as part of a great manipulation.

"I'm…nervous," she replied, hating herself for doing this to him.

"I don't understand. We have been intimate before. What is the difference, now?"

"It's just that before…you were just David. Now, you are David and Prince Charming."

"So, you don't love Prince Charming," he said slightly irritated.

"No, that's not it at all, David. It's just that now that you have your memories back, you have been a bit more… _aggressive_ , than usual. I'm scared, that's all."

David immediately understood what she was talking about, and honestly he couldn't blame her for feeling that way. He remembered his behavior after the curse had broken.

"Regina, I promise that I would never hurt you like that in any way. I'm so sorry that I am making you worry about that."

"So, you wouldn't be upset if we waited a while longer?"

"No, I understand and I promise that I am not upset. I want you to feel absolutely comfortable, with no doubts or hesitations."

"Thank-you, David," she replied whole-heartedly, giving him a big hug.

They settled in for the night, exhausted from the day's events.


	12. Chapter 12

Regina woke up the next morning with an awful headache. "Not again," she thought to herself. She turned around to see if David was awake and noticed he was not there. "So much for not leaving my side." "David! Are you here?" she yelled.

"Downstairs. I thought I would whip-up a breakfast since we will be stuck in the house all day." He yelled from downstairs.

Regina smiled at the thought. She was so lucky to have him. If only she didn't have a headache, they could spend the whole morning together happily.

She got out of bed and searched her bedside table for some medicine. That's when she noticed the book. "Mother," she sighed.

She put the book back, determined to fight through the headache without magic. David walked into the room holding out breakfast, which startled her. She shut the door quickly, so he wouldn't be able to see the book.

"Hey, are you okay? I am sorry if I scared you a little," David replied.

"No, don't be. I am just a little on edge I suppose." She quickly changed the subject. "Is that breakfast? It looks amazing, David." On a silver platter, literally, there was a wonderful spread of strawberries, a bagel, and a side of eggs sitting next to a glass of orange juice. "Thank-you, David."

"No problem. I know you have had a rough few days, but I want you to know that I am here for you." He smiled at her and for several long moments, they just sat there and exchanged smiles.

"Eat up," he encouraged her.

"What are you going to do?" she asked him.

"I am going to sit here and make sure that you can eat in peace…with no interruptions."

"David, you don't need to do that. Why don't you go take a shower and get ready. I can take care of myself here."

"I don't know, Regina." He was hesitant about leaving her alone. Even making breakfast gave him anxiety, having to leave her alone upstairs by herself."

"David, the shower is 5 feet away from this bed. I will be fine."

David really did want a shower, so he reluctantly agreed. "Okay, but if there is any trouble at all, I want you to call me right away, agreed?"

"Agreed." She smiled.

When David left the room, Regina looked at her plate. The food looked so good, but her headache still bothered her, and it was making her slightly nauseated. Regina knew she shouldn't, but the temptation was too great. She took the book out, heart racing. She opened the pages and breathed in the magic. Although this time, she absorbed a lot of magic. In fact, she couldn't stop absorbing magic fast enough. It felt so good, and she felt whole and complete with every breath she took.

Suddenly, Cora appeared in front of her, grabbing the book. "Mother. What are you doing here?" she whispered frantically.

"Protecting you. You shouldn't be absorbing magic like that. It's dangerous."

"What if David sees you? And besides, isn't this why you _left_ the book here, knowing that I would find it?"

"Yes, but I didn't want you to binge-absorb the magic. You will overwhelm yourself and then all sorts of magical mishaps might follow."

"Okay, okay. I got it. Now, please go before David sees you," Regina said in a hurried whisper shooing her mother away.

"Bye, darling," Cora said before disappearing back to from where she came.

Later in the afternoon, Regina and David were lounging around in the living room. She was reading a book and trying to relax. David was working on the overwhelming amount of paperwork from the Sherrif's station.

Suddenly, Mr. Gold appeared in the middle of their living room. David and Regina rushed to get into a standing position to defend themselves.

"What do you want, Rumple?" David asked, internally knowing what he wanted, and dreading the outcome of the following events.

"Oh you know," Rumple said casually as he took his hand and applied a forcefield of magic that threw Regina against the wall. "I am here because after the curse has broken, Belle just coincidentally reappears after 28 years, alive" he stated with his voice growing stronger and louder until the last word was practically shouted.

"And guess who was at the top of the list of suspects?" He looked down at Regina who was still recovering from the fall.

"Rumple, I know you are upset. But Regina wanted to let Belle go. She came with me yesterday to help free her." As David was trying to reason with Rumple, he rushed over to Regina, kneeling beside her and examining her with his eyes.

"Really, after keeping her locked up for 28 years, you played the hero, saving her," he said mockingly.

"Rumple, at the beginning, yes, I wanted to keep her, to hurt you." Before she could finish her sentence, Rumple picked her body up with magic and flew her across the room, into a large glass mirror, shattering it.

Through it all, she still remained conscious, but now she was covered in cuts. David could see trickles of blood running down her arms and legs in various spots.

"Stop. She doesn't have magic. She can't defend herself."

"Oh really?" Rumple asked amused. He could smell her magic in the air. "What have you been telling him, dearie?"

"Rumple, go back to your house and cool off. She is no danger to you nor anyone. And what would Belle say if she knew of this?" David barked at him. He didn't have magic, but he had had run-ins with him before and came out the victor. He knew he could do so again.

Rumple knew that she must have been keeping secret her ability to do, magic. He wanted to prove to David that she was a lying and manipulative witch, the same as he had always known her. He knew exactly how to get what he wanted. Rumple would continue hurting her until she was forced to do magic. Then, David would see that she has been keeping this secret from him.

"I would prefer to make her bleed." He took Regina again and threw her against the wall. "Defend yourself dear, and I will stop."

Regina knew she couldn't defend herself without revealing to David, her magic. She would prefer to die, than for David to know that she had been untruthful again.

She took the hit, but didn't say nothing nor do anything. "Defend yourself. All you have to do is summon a fireball, and I will stop."

Regina did nothing but glare at him. The pain was beginning to become unbearable. She didn't know how much more she could take.

"She can't. Look at her, she can't." David pleaded with him.

"Yes. She. Can." Rumple was sure that she could, though. Again, he took her and threw her against the large staircase. She grabbed her head, which was pounding.

As he was about to raise his hand again, she put her hand out in front of her. In a raspy voice, she mumbled, "Stop."

Rumple kept his hand in the air, threatening her to do what he asked. "You know what I want."

Regina looked down at her hand, and after several long moments of hesitation, she looked at David and whispered, "I'm sorry." A ball of fire appeared in her hand, and David recognized instantly that Rumple had been right.

Once Rumple had Regina right where he wanted her, he disappeared in a cloud of smoke. "Some things just aren't meant to be."

David rushed over to Regina. He was intensely disappointed with her, but his first priority was her health. He would not leave anyone alone to suffer.

"Can you heal yourself?" David asked. Regina was unsure she had enough magic left to do that. Her magic had not stabilized yet.

"Upstairs, David…there is a book. Will you get it for me?"

"A book? What book? Where is it?"

"It's upstairs in my bedside table drawer. It's a book of spells."

David sighed, but rushed upstairs to get it. He found the book and ran back to her side. He placed it into her hands as she continued lying on the floor.

She opened the book, and inhaled the magic. She could feel the magic absorbing into her internal organs that had been damaged and soothing them. She inhaled the magic again and watched the cuts on her skin, the blemishes, disappear. David felt relief, but was also in a state of shock. He wondered how long she had had this book, and how long she had been absorbing magic.

He helped her to her feet and helped her to lay down on the couch. "Are you okay?" he asked assertively.

"I'm okay," she replied, embarrassed and ashamed of the whole situation.

"Good," he said and walked out the door into kitchen. Regina had the feeling that he would not be coming back for a long time.


	13. Chapter 13

Regina knew that it would be best to give David some space. When she felt like she had enough strength to walk, she got up slowly and walked up the stairs in a fashion that showed she still was suffering from some minor injuries.

Meanwhile, David sat in the kitchen, thinking about what this meant for his relationship with Regina. It was in these moments that he almost felt regret for ending his relationship with Snow so abruptly. Perhaps he should have waited out the situation a little longer. He felt so stupid for thinking that it would be so easy for Regina to change. He loved her, he supported her, and yet she still chose magic over him. Not to mention that she lied to him on top of all of that.

Perhaps he should end his relationship with her right away, and save himself longterm heartache.

But something told him that he should forgiver her. He, after all, did promise that he would be there for her, no matter what. David remembered making the promise to her that if she made a mistake, he would be there to help her. In reality, this was a small infraction compared to the mass murders that she committed in the Enchanted Forest. She was making progress.

At the very least, he knew he should talk to her about it. He got up from the kitchen table he was sitting at and headed towards the living room. He noticed she wasn't there and he immediately started to panic. David power walked to the bedroom, and found Regina with her back towards him looking down at the book. He could hear not cries, but the deep breaths that she was taking.

"Regina." His voice was commanding and she immediately turned around to face him, but she said nothing. Her rose-colored cheeks contained glistening streams on the surface and he knew that she was upset. David hated seeing her cry, and she seemed to be doing that a lot lately. He thought it to be okay, though. It was important that she worked through her life, and he knew that it would take a lot of time and effort on both of their parts.

"Are you going to leave?" Her tone told him that it wasn't really a question, only a confirmation of her beliefs.

"No," he answered simply. "I told you that I would help you if you failed, and I intend to keep my promises."

"David…you don't have to stay. Nobody would blame you if you left. I know that I really messed up."

"Yes, you did. You should have trusted me. And you absolutely do not need to be using magic again."

Regina disagreed with him. Had he forgotten already the encounter she just had with Gold? "David, look at what Rumplestilskin just did? What would I have done if I didn't have magic?"

"He did that because he knew you had magic. Whatever you think magic can help you with, it is not the way. Regina, look at what magic did to you the last time you used it."

"Regina looked down ashamedly. She knew what he was about to say next.

"You became the Evil Queen. Tell me that you don't want that again."

"Of course, I don't."

"David began to implore her and sat down next to her on the bed. He put his hand on the book, and David stared at her with an intense gaze and said,"Then, get rid of this book. You don't need it."

"I…I can't David."

"Why?"

"It's complicated to explain…"

With that sentence, David was fearful. He knew that she was hiding something from him, and if it wasn't the fact that she had been absorbing magic, who knows what that could be. David was beginning to get frustrated, but he was trying hard not to let it show. He wanted to be with this woman so badly, but he needed to get through to her. "Regina, I want to be with you. I want to help you, but you need to be honest with me. What are you not telling me?"

Regina turned her head to look at him. She wanted to explain the whole thing to him, but she knew he wouldn't like the answer. "I need the magic. I can't explain it. I swear that I was only going to use it once. But then…" her voice trailed off. "I kept getting sick. I would be okay for a while, and then I would get sick again."

"You're addicted." It wasn't a question, it was a statement. David shook his head.

Regina let a sob escape her lips. "Yes," she admitted.

"David had no idea how to fix this, but that wasn't going to stop him from trying. "Is it dangerous?"

"What do you mean?" she asked with a confused look.

"Is it dangerous to stop?" he clarified his question.

"I suppose not. I have done it before," she added.

"Okay, then we will get rid of this book and be done with it." His voice told her that he was very serious.

"David… I can't. I'm not strong enough. I'm sorry." Regina really was sorry. She hated putting him in this position, but she had no confidence in herself that she could overcome this.

David looked at her in disbelief. He wanted to shake her, to shake some sense into her. That was not the right thing to do though, and he knew it. Trust was an important foundation in their relationship, and he knew that he needed to tread carefully. He was still earning her trust back from when the curse initially broke.

"You can, and you will," David commanded her. His voice softened a bit, "I promise, I will help you."

David leaned over her and kissed her softly. "Please," he whispered as he continued to place kisses on her. "Let me help you."

"Okay," she replied. Her voice barely registered./span/p

"Let me take the book," he said. He reached out for the book, wanting her to give it to him.

Regina looked down at the book, hesitantly. She ran through her options. She didn't want to lose control of the situation, and this book was her only lifeline. "No," she replied.

"Regina, you don't need this book. Whatever you are suffering, I will help you. You need to give me the book. If you really want to change, give me the book." He reached for the book to take it from her.

Regina turned so that he couldn't take the book. She stood their silently, still contemplating on what she should do

"Okay, well if you decide that you want my help, let me know." David didn't want to sound cruel. However, he wanted her to make a choice…a definite choice to become good, and not be consumed by evil. He turned to walk out the door.

Before David left the bedroom, Regina murmured, "Wait."

David let out a sigh of relief and turned around. With tears streaming down her face, she gave him the book.

"Thank you," he told her and embraced her tightly. "I want you to know, that I will be here to help you."

David took the book, and locked it in the safe with his personal password.

"What if I get sick?" she asked. David's heart was breaking. The last thing that he wanted was for Regina to be sick, but he knew in the long run it would be for the best. It was better to save her now with a little bit of pain, than to lose her again.

I will be here to help you through it. I promise I won't let you go through it alone, and I will do everything in my power to make sure that you are okay."

"David, I love you so much. I am so sorry to have let you down again."/

"Regina, I am not disappointed in you. I am proud of you because you have come such a long way. Look how far you have come from being the Evil Queen. It's not easy to change, and I recognize that. I want to help you, and I am so proud because you are allowing me to love you and to help you. You have no idea how much I want to be with you, and love you."

"Really?" Regina smiled.

"Really." David assured her with a large smile of her own.


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's note: Thank you to everyone that has read the story so far! It has been a lot of fun for me to write this story so far. On a side note, I feel like I have really put Regina's character through the wringer, but know that eventually her character will experience happiness :) I will also say that I know she cries a lot...I think probably every chapter so far lol. I don't think that it necessarily makes her a weak character, but she is dealing with a lot, and it is my hope that she can work through her misery with David by her side.**

Regina woke up in the middle of the night and noted that the alarm clock read 2 am. She didn't feel awful yet, but she had anxiety building in the pit of her stomach. Dread filled her, knowing that misery and pain would soon follow.

She remembered the times that she had been sick with the stomach flu, and what an unpleasant experience that had been. At the very beginning, she would always get a bad taste in her mouth, and then nausea and vomiting would begin. The most awful experience of her life was several years ago, when she could do nothing but lie on the bathroom floor, shaking uncontrollably and waiting for hours before she finally vomited.

Regina had a feeling that she was about to have a similar experience. However, this time she had David. She wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing, yet. Regina wanted to be the perfect girlfriend for David, despite everything that she had done. She wanted him to think that she was beautiful and healthy. Of course, lying on the floor vomiting did not fit into her image of beautiful. She didn't think she even wanted David to help her. Although she would appreciate the temporary comfort he would provide, Regina didn't think it was worth the lifelong embarrassment.

Trying to relax, Regina tried to go back to sleep. Sleep was elusive though, and there didn't seem to exist a comfortable position. She could feel the bile rising in her stomach. It would rise, then settle, then rise again. Regina would change positions constantly to try to keep the nausea at bay, but it was exhausting.

Finally, when Regina couldn't endure the nausea anymore, she went to the bathroom and emptied her stomach. The sound woke David up with it's loud, guttural timbre. He rushed into the bathroom and saw Regina crouched down on the floor, heaving. She glanced at him briefly before resting her upper body on the edge of the toilet. Her complexion was pale and she looked nothing short of exhausted.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Terrible," she said. That was all the cue he needed. He went into the hallway closet and chose some blankets and a pillow for her. He brought them into the bathroom and placed them on the floor. Then, he helped her from her position to lay down and get comfortable.

Regina felt awful, but was grateful for the makeshift bed. It felt good to have a place to rest and know that she didn't need to move far if she felt ill again. However, having David in there with her while she felt so weak and disgusting made her excruciatingly anxious. She just wanted to be left alone.

"David," she cried. "Please go."

"Why?" he asked.

She didn't want to explain it to him; she just wanted him to leave. "Please…just go."

David had an internal sense that she was embarrassed and knew why she wanted him to leave. He would of course respect her wishes for privacy, but he wanted her to know that it didn't bother him to be there, and that more than anything he wanted to be there to help her.

"Okay, I will go, but I want you to know that I _want_ to be here for you. Let me redeem myself and show you that I can be there for you. I know that you feel disgusting and embarrassed, but it doesn't bother me. I survived battlefields and pregnancy, and I promise that this is nothing in comparison."

Regina didn't know what to say. His words touched her and her heart swelled. She nodded her head in agreement. A weight was lifted off of her shoulders, and in that moment she felt like she and David were in sync with each other. He understood her, understood what she was going through, and he still wanted to be there for her.

David lowered himself on the floor and placed his hand on her back and gently rubbed circles in between her shoulder blades.

Regina felt better for quite a while after the initial vomiting. She let David soothe her and after a while, her nausea subsided. Soon, she allowed herself to fall into a peaceful slumber.

By the time morning came, and the sun was peaking out from behind the clouds, Regina and David had both fallen asleep on the bathroom floor. David was awoken by her trembling body and he put his hand on her forehead. She was burning up. He thought he should immediately take her to the hospital, but then remembered the only person in town with medical training was Dr. Whale, and there was no way he was going to let him anywhere near her.

He started to shake her gently, trying to get her to wake up. "Regina," he whispered, "wake up." Her eyes started to flutter open accompanied by a confused expression.

"David, what's going on? Is everything alright?"

"You're burning up and shaking. We need to get you to a doctor."

"David, its nothing," she sleepily murmured. "It's just one of the symptoms."

David felt a sense of relief that she had apparently experienced this process before and wasn't concerned. However, he still felt that she needed to be seen by someone.

"Regina, this is dangerous. You're temperature is 105 degrees. We need to take you to the hospital."

"David…you know that is not possible." She gave him a knowing look, because he knew that Dr. Whale was the only doctor in town at the moment, and he more than likely was probably still in jail.

David looked down at her and contemplated the situation. He stood up and then tried to help her up, too. Regina tried to stand up, but she was still weak and her legs were shaking causing her to sway back and forth. David picked her up and started to carry her out the bedroom door.

On his way out the door, he paused briefly and looked at the safety box that contained the book. He was really concerned about her. Maybe he should get the book and let her use it. He thought the better of it though. The book was going to be the last resort, the _very_ last resort. Besides, she had already suffered enough and if they used the book, eventually they would have to start the process all over again.

"What are you doing? Where are we going?" she asked.

"We are going to the hospital."

"But, David…" she groaned.

Before she had an opportunity to finish her objection, David responded. "We are not going to the Storybrooke Hospital. There is a large city nearby. Surely they will have a decent hospital."

"David, what about the town line? If we leave, we might never be able to come back!"

"Don't worry about that. Mr. Gold owes me a favor, and I am about to collect on it."

Soon, they arrived at the hospital, with memories in tact. David parked their vehicle under the Emergency Room awning and then immediately carried her into the ER.

Her condition considerably deteriorated on their way over to the hospital. She was shaking uncontrollably. The sound of her teeth chattering sent him into a panic. When he picked her up, her body was covered in sweat. He was carrying her into the hospital when he first noticed blood on her shirt. He wondered where that had come from. He looked down at her face and noticed she had a steady stream of blood running down from her nose. The magic was wreaking havoc on her body. He wondered what was happening in her body that he couldn't see.

When he brought her in, an ER nurse came to him immediately to assess her condition. "What happened?" she asked.

"She is really sick. Her fever is really high and she is shaking. Then, when we started to come into the ER, her nose started to bleed." His anxiety was getting the best of him, but he was trying to explain to the nurse the best he could. "Stay calm," he reminded himself.

The nurse seemed very unconcerned about the situation. "She probably just has the flu. We'll see her as soon as possible."

David looked at her with disbelief. Regina was really sick, and he knew it was _not_ the flu. Her condition was magical, but her symptoms were physical. They needed to help her right away.

In that moment, he transformed into Prince Charming. Raising his voice, he stated "You will see her, _now_. She is extremely sick and she needs help. Not later on, but _now_."

The nurse seemed shocked by his sudden outburst. She nodded her head and in a timid voice she replied, "Of course, right away."

She had David carry Regina towards the back of the ER, and placed them in a private room. She immediately took her vital signs and temperature. "It seems you were right. She is very sick. I will get the doctor right away and take a blood sample."

David looked at Regina, and although he knew that she would kill him if she knew this… he pitied her. She looked absolutely miserable and it destroyed him seen her in such a fragile state. Her pain was his pain, too.

After several hours of waiting, Regina's fever had returned to a normal temperature again. Other than exhaustion, she seemed to be doing relatively okay.

The doctor walked in, and when he noticed that Regina was still sleeping he motioned for David to come talk to him. The duo quietly whispered back and forth to each other about Regina's condition.

"It's so strange…but I cannot find anything that would have caused her to experience such a high fever. I had concerns that she had an infection, but her blood count came back as normal. She seems to be perfectly healthy. However, I am going to keep her here for observations for the next 24 hours, to be sure that she will not need any further treatment."

This information did not surprise David, but he was relieved to hear that Regina was indeed very healthy and would soon make a full recovery. Hopefully, the nightmare would end soon.

"I assume you are her husband?" the doctor continued.

"No, not husband. We live together, though. I am her emergency contact. You can verify that through Storybooke Hospital."

"Alright. Perfect, then. I will have them fax over that information right away. If you can, I need you to come sign some consent papers. I am going to treat her with a few drugs to kick out any possible infection that might be missed as well as a strong dosage of a drug to treat her high fever."

When David was sifting through some paperwork, he noticed a second set of paperwork, which he found to be confusing. The first set of paperwork read, "Patient Name: Regina Mills." The second set of paperwork read, "Patient Name: N/A"

Confused, David went up to the nurse's station to ask for help. He was greeted by a very sweet nurse and smiled at her. He grabbed the second set of paperwork and handed it to her. "Here, I think this paperwork is for you. It must have been placed with my paperwork by accident."

The nurse smiled at him, and looked through the paperwork. "Oh no, dear. Whenever we have expectant mothers come in to the ER, we have separate charts for the mother and for the fetus. It helps us to keep better track of the care we provide. I apologize though, because I know its inconvenient to have to sign so much paperwork."

David looked at the nurse incredulously, and let out a small chuckle of disbelief. "I am sorry. There has to be some mistake. She isn't pregnant."

"Oh, I am terribly sorry, sir. I will have a nurse investigate the situation right away."

David smiled, and went back to signing the first set of paperwork. He looked at the expense sheet that they had already calculated, and noted how lucky they were that Regina made a good income. This trip to the ER was not going to be cheap.

A nurse came back and tapped him on the shoulder. "Mr. Nolan?" she began, "I guess I am here to give you some good news." The nurse was beaming with joy, which left David wondering what she could be so happy about. "When we did the blood test, it indicated to us that she was pregnant. Congratulations!"

David was stunned. He wasn't sure what he was hearing, or if it was all just a dream. "Can I see the results, please?"

The nurse gave David a copy of the results, and explained to him how to read the sheet. She noticed that he looked a little uneasy.

"Can I get you some water, sir? You look a little pale. You know, it's quite a lot of news to take in. I do apologize that we did not mention it earlier."

"Yes, that would be great," he muttered.

David sat in a hospital chair, and stared at the blood test results. His brain was cluttered with thoughts about literally everything. He worried about the baby. He worried about Regina. Not even yesterday she had been thrown against the wall several times, repeatedly. He also thought about what they would name the baby and what he/she would look like.

His mind was playing with him, conjuring images of the not-so-distant future:

 _Regina was sitting with their newborn baby in a luxurious and elegant nursery. She looked so beautiful sitting there, smiling at their newborn. It was daylight outside and through the large window, sunlight streamed in and shined on her raven hair._

Then, his mind wandered off to their bedroom.

 _David and Regina were looking down at their bassinet, smiling, as their baby cooed and waved his arms about. David gently pulled her into an embrace and Regina turned around and smiled at him. "I love you so much, David."_

He looked down at the results again. His anxiety turned into excitement and the energy returned to his body again. David checked on Regina, who was still sleeping. He couldn't wait to tell her the news, and he wanted to make the moment special for her.

He went downstairs to the gift shop and scoured the store for the perfect way to not only tell her the news, but also to express his deep love for her. It took him a long time to find the perfect gift, but in the end he thought that he had found the perfect one.


	15. Chapter 15

David stood at the entry way to Regina's hospital room. She was still sleeping away and had a serene glow surrounding her. She finally had some peace and tranquility, and for that he was eternally grateful. A big smile crept across his face as he strolled over to her bed, and sat to the side of her on a stool. He couldn't wait for her to wake up and to tell her the good news. He was already gleaming with fatherly pride. He looked at her graceful and elegant features, and he knew their child would be the most beautiful. David could not contain his pride at the fact that this gorgeous woman was carrying his child…that they created together…at that very moment.

After several minutes, Regina started to stir and looked up at him. "David," she said with a yawn. "What time is it?" She had no idea what time it was or how long she had been asleep, but looking at the sky outside her window, she thought that it had been quite a while since she had fallen asleep.

"It's around 8 pm, I think. Are you hungry? Can I get you anything?"

"No, I am okay. Could you turn the lamp on though? It's kind of dark in here."

"Sure. No problem." David turned the lamp on and a soft light illuminated the room.

David couldn't wait any longer to tell her the news. His nerves were a mess. He sat back down on the stool and took Regina's hand in his.

"Regina, there is something I want to talk to you about." He looked down at her hand and gently ran his fingers across them.

"David, what is it?" Regina was really concerned. He looked so anxious. The thought crossed her mind that she was really sick and he was going to tell her that she was going to die.

"We're going to have a baby," he smiled at her.

Regina's eyes widened at that statement. She thought she misheard what he had said. "What?" she asked him again softly.

David smiled at her again with an even wider smile. "We're going to have a baby. When they did the blood test, the results indicated that you are pregnant. Can you believe that? We're going to have a baby."

Regina could tell that David was obviously really happy about it. There was no doubt in her mind. She was too shocked, though, to really comprehend her own emotions. She couldn't do anything else but think.

David sat there a little disappointed by her reaction. He was hoping that she would be joyful and ecstatic, just like he was.

"Aren't you happy about this?" he asked sadly.

"Of course, David. I am just a little shocked I suppose. I had no idea, I swear." David was so happy to hear her say that she was excited, too.

"David!" Regina exclaimed, before bursting into a heap of tears.

"Hey, hey…calm down. What's wrong?" This was definitely not going the way he had imagined this conversation in his mind.

"Yesterday, when Mr. Gold was at our house…what if the baby…" He could barely understand her through her tears, but he knew what she was referring to.

"Regina, its okay. I am sure the baby is fine. You healed yourself, remember?" David said.

David didn't understand the complexities of the situation though. Just because she healed herself doesn't necessarily mean that the baby had also healed, too.

"David, you don't understand…" she continued.

"Wait here," he commanded her. He shot up out of his seat and rushed to the nurses' station.

"My wi…" his voice trailed off. "My girlfriend…she is really worried about our baby. Is it possible that you could check on it?"

"Sir, typically we don't perform sonograms unless it is an emergency," she replied.

"Please," he asked her again. The nurse took pity on him after seeing the pleading look spread across his face.

"Okay," she replied. "My husband is an OBGYN on a different floor. I guess I can call in a favor," she smiled.

"Thank-you, so much. I really, really appreciate it." David really did appreciate that. He wanted to calm Regina's fears and his own. He knew that he needed to prove to Regina that their baby was okay.

When David returned to Regina's room, she asked him where he had gone.

"I went to get a nurse to do a sonogram, so that we can make sure our baby is okay."

David leaned over and kissed her forehead, "No matter what, I love you. I know our baby is strong, and I have full confidence that everything will be okay."

"You really believe that?" she asked him.

"I do."

Moments later, an older man wearing a white coat came into their hospital room. "Good evening, I am Dr. Christopher. I heard that you two are really concerned about your baby?" His voice was warm and soothing, and Regina already felt slightly better.

"We just want to make sure everything is okay," David replied.

"Well, let's have a look." The doctor turned on the sonogram that he had brought with him and put the cold jelly on Regina's lower stomach.

"How far along are you?" the doctor asked.

"I'm not sure. We just found out."

For a long time, all they could see was a very dark screen, and the anticipation was nearly unbearable. Then, an infant's figure appeared on the screen, and a tear escaped from Regina's eye. That was her baby; her baby with David. She looked at him wanting to see his reaction. He had a huge smile on his face and couldn't stop staring at the screen. Then, all of a sudden a leg kicked and an arm moved. Regina's face lit up in joy. This might have been the happiest moment of her life.

"I think that the baby is doing perfectly fine," the doctor commented. After a few quick measurements he said, "By my estimation, I think that the baby is approximately 12-14 weeks old, or about 3 months."

"Doctor, how is that possible," Regina asked. "How could I not have known for so long?"

"Well, every woman is different, and its possible that you might not have experienced many strong symptoms, or you might have misinterpreted them. But, I think that the baby looks perfectly healthy. Nothing to worry about. Just be careful about what you eat and drink. I am going to send in a nurse from my department to come down to your room tomorrow to talk about some general guidelines before you leave. You'll want to get established with an OBGYN right away."

The doctor dismissed himself, and left Regina and David alone, once again. Before anything else was said, David thought it would be a great time to show Regina the gift that he bought her.

He brought out a huge bouquet of flowers from the closet, and put them on a small table next to her. "These are for you," he said.

"David…they are beautiful. I don't know what to say. Thank-you." David leaned down and gave her a small kiss. She returned his kiss and deepened it. "I love you, so much. I can't believe this is happening. I don't deserve this; you or the baby."

"Yes, you do, Regina. And I couldn't be happier."

"There is also something else that I want to give you." He took out a long, black velvety box and gave it to her. "Open it," he said.

Regina opened it, and inside was a beautiful golden chain. "David, it's lovely. Thank you." Regina was close to tears again, but she tried to calm herself down.

"I have something that I want you to put on the necklace," he said. He pulled out a ring from his pocket.

Regina stared at the ring, and was again shocked at the sight before her.

"Listen, this is not an engagement. As much as I want to spend the rest of my life with you and our baby, I know that it is still early in our relationship. However, I want to give you my mother's ring as a promise. I promise you that I am committed to you and this baby. You have my full support and I will do everything in my power to protect the both of you. Will you please accept this?"

"David, this is so sweet. I can't, though. It's your mother's ring."

"She would want the mother of her grandchild to have it. That I am sure of." David took the golden chain and slipped the ring into it. He smiled at her as she pushed her hair out of the way and he fastened the chain around her neck.

"Its beautiful, David."

"Not as much as you." His lips met hers again. In a rush of emotion, she leaned into him and intensified the kiss.

"I can't wait to go home," she whispered.


	16. Chapter 16

When Regina and David arrived back home in Storybrooke, David insisted on carrying Regina into the house, bridal style.

"David, you're being ridiculous. I am fine." Regina had no intention of giving into David's request, which she thought was silly and unreasonable. David picked her up anyways, though, and carried her to the door. By the time they reached the front door, Regina was smiling. She happily kissed David as they crossed the threshold.

Regina felt like she was in pure heaven. She had David and a healthy baby on the way. On top of that, she felt good again…and this time without the aid of magic.

When they reached the living room, David placed Regina on the sofa. However, Regina was already ready to go upstairs and decorate the nursery. In no time at all, she started to head towards the upper floor.

"What are you doing?" David asked Regina.

"I want to see the baby's room…to start getting some ideas," Regina smiled.

"Just as long as your ideas don't cost anything," David joked.

"David!" she replied glaring at him.

"Kidding, kidding…you know that I only want the best for our baby." They both gave each other one last smile before she headed upstairs.

As soon as Regina was by herself in the baby's room, Cora appeared.

"Regina! Darling, I am so glad that you are alright." Cora strode over to Regina and enveloped her in a hug.

"Hello, mother," Regina smiled.

"What happened to you? One minute you were here and the next you were gone. I couldn't sense you anywhere and I was worried that something awful had happened to you." Regina could tell that her mother had been really worried about her, and she felt guilty for making her feel that way.

"I'm sorry to have worried you, Mother. Rumple came over here and told David that I had been using magic. David made me get rid of the book, and so I became really ill. It's a really long story, but he took me across the town line to a hospital not far from here."

Cora was angry. How dare that imp try to harm her daughter. How dare that prince think he can control her. It was more important than ever to try to get that dagger away from Rumple. Regina's life could be in real danger.

"And..there is something else I have to tell you, Mother."

"What is it, sweetie?"

"David and I, we're going to have a baby." Regina said those words with the most sincere and genuine smile that Cora had ever seen. She knew instantly that her daughter was already very attached to both David and the baby. This concerned her. Regina needed to be independent, strong and happy by herself. Still, she was overjoyed that Regina was so happy.

"That's wonderful, darling!" Cora took Regina's hands. "I want you to know that I am so excited for you and that I hope you will let me be a part of this child's life, too."

"Of course, mother." Regina felt like she finally did have everything she ever wanted: David, a baby, and her mother's love. She was euphoric that her mother was excited about the new baby, too."

Regina thought that she should tell David about her mother. However, everything was so perfect. She wanted to enjoy it a little while longer, before Cora and David were at each other's throats.

"Regina, we need to do something about Mr. Gold. We can't let him get to this baby. We need to find the dagger and destroy it."

"Mother…I can't help you. I just told David that I would be honest with him, and stop lying to him. If he found out that I was helping you find that dagger…who knows what would happen. I can be happy with David and with the baby. I can't risk that. Not again."

Cora felt sympathy for what Regina was going through. She wanted Regina to be happy. Regina was not thinking clearly though, from her perspective. She wouldn't have _anything_ with Rumple walking around with that dagger ready to punish her or worse.

Cora pleaded with her daughter and begged her to see the reality of the situation. "Regina darling, you can't expect to have everything just fall into place right now. You have to be realistic. Rumple is angry with you. I have been watching him for days and he has shown no remorse for what he did to you. You want to have happiness? Start by protecting your baby." Cora's voice grew stern at the last few sentences, like she was already chastising Regina for not protecting the baby enough.

Regina thought about the situation and knew her mother was right. Rumple was dangerous and she needed to get rid of him. If he harmed her baby, she would never be able to live with herself. Still, there was David. She should tell him and explain to him that this was necessary.

"Okay, you're right. We need to get the dagger from Rumple, but I need to tell David everything first. He has a right to know."

"Regina, think about what will happen if he knows that we are looking for the dagger. What will the town think if they find out? The Evil Queen and her evil mother looking for the most powerful source of magic in Storybrook, together? That will surely raise some eyebrows."

"He'll understand," Regina said, unsure of who she was trying to convince.

"Really? You already know that he doesn't trust me. He never has."

"With good reason…" Regina muttered under her breath.

"Darling, this doesn't have to be unnecessarily painful for anybody. Nobody has to know, not even Rumple himself. Besides, knowing David…his Prince Charming instincts will kick in and then where will you be? He thinks you're weak. Just like today, he wouldn't even let you walk into the house. Do you really think that he will let you do something like this?"

Cora could tell that she was getting through to Regina, who was beginning to falter.

"Okay…we won't tell David," Regina agreed. "But Mother, you have to _promise_ me that you will do everything in your power to make sure that David never finds out and that he doesn't get hurt. I love him so much. I couldn't bear to lose him again." Regina pleaded with her mother. She wanted to tell David so much, but she knew he wouldn't understand. She silently made a promise to herself, that this would be the last time that she went behind David's back. Regina had to make sure that she protected her family, and especially her new baby.

Suddenly, she heard David's footsteps climbing the stairs. "Mother, David's coming. Quick, hide!" Regina was trying to keep her voice hushed so that David didn't hear them. Cora disappeared in a cloud of purpose smoke.

"Regina, is there someone here?" David asked when he came in. He had heard voices, and was confused about who she could be talking to.

Regina, who still had magic, conjured a cell phone behind her back and casually showed it to David. "Oh, I was… just talking with some painters, to get some estimates on painting this room." She felt so guilty. She had promised David not even 24 hours ago that she would trust him, and that she would tell him the truth.

David smiled at Regina. She was going to be a great mother, he thought. They have barely been home an hour and she was already working on the baby's room. "Well, just remember to take it easy. How many more months did the doctor say that we still needed to go? Like 6? We have plenty of time. You probably still need to rest."

"David, I feel fine. I want to get a head start, and I already have so many ideas," she said with a delighted smile.

"How are you feeling?" David was generally concerned about her.

"Like I said, I feel fine. Great, even. No more headaches." Regina flashed a smile towards David, trying to convince him that she was back to normal.

"Have you tried your magic since you have been back?" David was curious if her magic had returned. In all honesty, he hoped it hadn't. She didn't need that burden any longer.

Regina lied again. "No…I think that its gone." She sounded so shy and heartbroken, David assumed that she was disappointed her magic no longer existed. In reality, Regina couldn't help the guilt shine through, lying to him yet again.

"Hey," he said in a cheerful voice. "You're going to be okay. If Rumple goes after you again, I will protect you."

"You couldn't protect me last time," Regina said solemnly. Those words hurt David and were painful for him to hear. Regina even felt bad for bringing it up.

"I know. But this time, I will be prepared. I have my sword, and I am going to talk to the blue fairy. Maybe she can put up a protection spell over the house. It will work out, I promise. Good always wins."

"Okay, I trust you." Regina knew that was another lie. She wanted to trust David. She loved him. There was just something about trusting another human being with such a delicate matter. She trusted that David was a good person, and that he was genuine. That would have to do for the time being.


	17. Chapter 17

"Snow, I got your message. What's going on? You sounded worried." David had come over to Snow's apartment in a rush. She sounded terrified, and wouldn't say anything other than he needed to meet her right away. Things had been better between them lately. There was still a friendship and a love between them that persisted, even after everything that they had been through lately.

"David, please know that I when I say this, I don't mean it in a way to make you doubt Regina. I know that you love her, and I can see that."

David was thoroughly confused and had no idea what Snow was talking about. Snow continued," David, I saw Cora. She was down at the docks."

David's eyes widened. Cora was supposed to be dead. He had heard the rumors that Regina had killed her, right before the curse had taken effect.

"That can't be. She's dead."

"David, I am sure of it. I know what I saw, and it was her. I could never forget what she looked like, even after 30 years."

David's first thought was Regina and the baby. '"I have to find Regina. She and the baby could be in danger."

Snow looked at David in shock and confusion. Before David could comprehend what he said, Snow asked, "David, what baby?"

David instantly regretted that he said that bit of information out loud. There was no use in hiding it from Snow now, though. He just needed to be upfront and straightforward. With a deep breath, he told Snow that Regina was pregnant.

"We just found out ourselves, a few days ago."

"Oh, well…congratulations." Snow tried to sound happy for him, but it came out too weak.

David hated telling Snow like this. She still was technically his wife, and he hated breaking her heart like this. Especially knowing that the only baby Snow had ever had was ripped away from them by the same woman who was now carrying his child.

"Snow, I'm sorry. I should have said that more gently. I didn't want you to find out this way."

"No. Its alright. You made your choice, and I just have to learn to accept that. Its just that after everything, I feel like Regina has won everything, while I have lost everything. I had a good life with you and Emma. And then, it was all taken away from me. I just wonder if I will ever have happiness again…if I ever will have the opportunity to have a baby again."

David put a hand on Snow's shoulder and motioned for them to sit down. He looked at her with sincere empathy and said, "Snow, I want you to know that I still love you and I care about you. I want you to be happy and I want you to find true love again and have a family. I have hope that you will find that again very soon."

"Just not with you?" she said, a little lightheartedly.

"Just not with me." David tried to approach the response carefully, with respect to Snow's feelings, but also honestly.

"I just have one question for you, David." In reality, Snow had a lot of questions for David, but she had one question that was burning inside her and eating her alive. "Why did you choose her over me?"

This was a hard question for David to answer. "I don't know, really. You are beautiful and smart and funny. And Regina is all of those things, too. Its just that she needed me, and she didn't need me. It's complicated to explain. I'm sorry I can't give you a better answer." David explained this to her gently. It was a touchy question and he didn't want to make Snow feel any worse than she already did. Snow was an amazing woman, and a great mother to _his_ daughter. It really wasn't fair that he chose Regina over her, after everything that Regina had done. In the end though, love wasn't based off of fairness. He knew that deep down Regina was a good person, too. She just needed more help showing it.

"It's okay." Snow really didn't want to hear any more about it anyways.

"David, you probably should go check on Regina…and the baby."

David was about to walk out the door, when he walked back over to Snow and gave her one last hug. "Things will get better, I know they will."

"Regina, where are you? Are you here? Are you okay?"

David panicked and scoured the house searching for Regina. Regina came down the stairs right away to find out what all the commotion was about. "David! I'm right here. What's wrong?"

David let out a sigh of relief when he heard her voice. "Regina, thank goodness you're okay." He put his arms around her and enveloped her in a hug.

Regina was confused as to what David was referring to. "David, what happened? What are you talking about?"

David didn't waste anytime in telling Regina what he had learned from Snow. "Cora. Snow thinks that she saw her at the docks."

Regina gulped, but played it safe. "That's…impossible."

"I know. Thats what I told Snow. Regina, I thought that your mother had died before the curse. She insists though, that it was her."

Regina closed her eyes for barely longer than a blink, but just enough to give her some time to think about what she was going to say. She felt guilty before she even said it, but she continued to do so anyway. "David, I thought my mother had died too. I am sure what Snow saw was not her. It has to be someone else that she saw."

"I know that. But, stranger things have happened, and I want us to take precautions. If your mother is here in Storybrooke, chances are she will want to talk to you at some point. If she comes anywhere near you, I want you to call me right away. I don't want to take any chances where she is concerned."

"David," Regina laughed slightly. "You're acting as if my mother is dangerous. She won't hurt me."

David could not believe that out of all people, Regina would say something like this. He knew Cora was her mother, and he knew that despite everything that Cora had done, Regina still loved her. However, he didn't want that woman anywhere near Regina or his child.

"What are you talking about? You know better than anybody who she is. Regina, she is dangerous, and you need to tell me the moment that you _think_ you might have seen her. Do you understand?"

Regina gave a small nod and an "of course." She hated when David treated her that way, like she was a child.

David knew he should not have said that last part. He apologized right away. "Hey, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said it that way. I am just really concerned about you. I know how your mother operates. You have come so far, Regina. I am afraid that she will try to corrupt you into doing something…well, evil."

"No need to apologize. I promise that I will be alright." Regina gave him a reassuring smile. David seemed to calm down a little after that.

Regina quickly tried to change the subject. She did not want to make anymore promises that she knew she wouldn't be able to keep. It wasn't David, it was the baby. She needed to protect the baby at all costs, and she trusted her mother and her mother's power. In the end, her mother had done everything because she thought that was best for Regina. That was love in her eyes.

"David, I picked out a few designs I really liked for the baby's room. Would you like to see them?"

David smiled. Regina didn't seem all that concerned, so he wasn't going to be either. "Absolutely. I would love to help you pick one out."


	18. Chapter 18

Emma had left with Mr. Gold to look for his son. This was the perfect time for Cora and Regina to look for the dagger. Surely, Rumple wouldn't have risked taking it out of Storybrooke and potentially negating its powers. When Cora and Regina met up later at her house, Regina explained what she found out to her mother.

Cora's smile reached her eyes. "Darling, this is perfect. While Rumple is out of town, we can look for the dagger, and he would be none the wiser. Oh, this is too perfect." They would never have an opportunity like this again, so they needed to make the most of it.

"Where do we even begin, mother? This could be like looking for a needle in a haystack."

"Leave that to me, darling. I am going to get ready, as you should too." Regina nodded her head in agreement.

"I will meet you in the library in an hour." With that, Cora vanished.

 **Storybrooke Library**

Cora and Regina met at the library as they had intended. Regina was talking to her mother about the baby when Hook showed up.

"I'm glad you could finally join us, Hook." Cora said.

Regina glanced back and forth between Cora and Hook with wide eyes and confusion. "Mother, what is he doing here?" Regina's heart raced in her chest. She trusted her mother. Nobody was supposed to find out. What if Hook let it slip to David what was going on?

"Darling, don't worry. Hook is here to help us and I have sworn him to absolute secrecy," she smiled.

Regina was in no mood for pleasantries. She wanted to find the dagger and get it over with. "Let's just find the dagger and get it over with. Gold gave Belle a code before she left. I went over to the hospital before coming over here and found it in her belongings. My guess is that we will find information on the dagger's location somewhere in her beloved books."

"Sweetheart, I am so proud of you. Look at how skilled you have become."

After Cora uttered those words, Regina felt a rush of emotion. Her mother was finally proud of her. "Thank you, mother." Regina flashed a smile that showed she was genuinely touched by her mother's rare, but kind words.

Cora found the book and opened it. Within the book was a map. "I think I found it, dear. It will take me a while to decipher it, but we should be able to start looking this afternoon."

Hook snatched the map from Cora. "You won't be able to. However, I have seen these types of maps before in Neverland. I can tell you exactly where you need to go, just give me an hour."

"Okay then, we'll meet you in an hour."

 **Storybrooke Forest**

Hook had directed Cora and Regina to a spot in the forest, where they needed to dig. "Hook marked it clearly, mother. Rumplestilksin's dagger is here."

Unbeknownst to them, Snow White had been hunting in that very same spot that day. She overhead them and gasped. She needed to tell David right away. She couldn't believe that after all that had happened, Regina was working with her mother again. No, she could believe it. Regina was evil, and that was a fact that everyone would have to accept, including David. Some people just never change.

Then, Snow had an idea. Instead of telling David, and let him continue to be blinded by her deceitfulness, she should just have him come down to the forest and see for himself.

She called David and whispered to him. "David, I need you to meet me at this location, ASAP. There is something you need to see. Its Regina."

David had no idea what Snow was talking about, but when he heard Regina's name he stopped everything he was doing at the station and ran to his truck. He didn't stop for anything until he spotted Snow in the forest.

When Snow saw him, she pulled him into a crouching position and told him to be quiet. "David, they are trying to get Rumplestilksin's dagger."

David looked to where Snow had her gazed fixed, and there he saw them. Cora and Regina, digging. It hit him like a ton of bricks. After everything that Regina promised, here she was with her mother. He searched his mind for an explanation, but he came up empty. The only explanation was that Regina had lied to him. She had known about her mother being in Storybrooke this whole time.

His anger was rising in him. He was about to stand up, to make his presence known. Snow stopped him, though. "David, you can't. We need to listen to find out what they are planning."

David listened. Regina sounded out of breath from digging. In his head he was keeping points against her, and even that near exhaustion was a tallying point. She was pregnant, she should be cautious and taking better care of herself. She had a baby growing inside of her, his baby, and she needed to be responsible.

Then, he heard Cora speak. "Darling, stop digging. It's obvious that Hook lied to us."

 _Hook_ , David thought. Not only is she working with her mother, but she is working with Hook, too. This couldn't get any worse he thought. He put his head down in pure disappointment.

"Well, then this map is useless," Regina said.

"Don't despair dear, we will find the dagger. I can reconstruct the map myself, it will just take a little bit more time."

"Okay. I better get home. I don't want David to realize that I am missing."

At the mention of his name, David's anger started to boil. She was so casually lying to him. He wouldn't let her get away with it any longer.

Seconds later, both Regina and Cora disappeared in 2 separate clouds of smoke. "So she has her magic back, too," David thought. That was another thing that Regina had lied about. There were so many lies, he didn't know if he could keep the truth straight from the fiction. All of this after she promised him she would stop lying to him. He wondered what else she was lying to him about.

David was so lost in his own thoughts, he barely heard Snow's voice calling to him. "David, we have to go. We need to talk to Regina and find out what she and her mother are up to."

"I agree. Do you have a plan?" David asked.

"Let's call Regina down to Granny's. We need to talk to her. Maybe it's not as bad as it looks." Snow knew it looked really bad. As much as she loved David though, she hated seeing him so disappointed. She wanted him to have hope.

"No matter what happens, we need to make sure that she doesn't get hurt. She is carrying my child, and we have to protect the baby. It is innocent in all of this."

"I understand, David. We just have to be upfront with her. We have dealt with her before and this time will be no different. At the very least, she needs to know that Cora is not on her side."

Cora. That had to be it. Cora had always manipulated Regina into doing her bidding. Cora was behind all of this, he was sure of it.

 **Granny's Diner**

David had called Regina for a casual invitation to lunch with him. Of course, Regina happily accepted.

Regina had entered the diner, and immediately saw that David was not alone, but with Snow. She tensed immediately, wondering what was going on.

"Hi, what's going on?" Regina asked hesitantly. She glanced at them back and forth and had the feeling that this was not a casual lunch invitation.

"Sit down, Regina" David said, not looking at her but down at his coffee cup. His voice was cold and stern. She knew that he knew something.

Regina sat down slowly and stared down at her lap. After a while, she looked up at them and braced herself for what was going to happen.

Snow was the first to speak up. "We know that you have been working with your mother, Regina."

Regina's heart felt like it stopped. She knew she should have just been honest with David. Why did she let her mother talk her out of that?

"and Hook," David added.

"and that you have your magic back," David added again.

"David…" Regina started in an attempt to explain everything.

"Save it, Regina," he shot back.

"Regina, why? Why would you do this after working so hard to be good?" Snow asked her.

"Have you thought for a minute, that maybe…I am good." Regina replied.

"Good doesn't do what you do."

Regina leaned back in the seat and folded her arms. "So, it looks like things are back to the way they were. The Evil Queen vs. Snow and… _her_ prince." David glared at her. This was not his fault, and she was not going to blame this on him.

Snow ignored her comment and continued. "Listening to your mother is a mistake, Regina. She doesn't love you, and she doesn't care about the baby. All she cares about is power." Snow was pleading for her to listen to them.

"Really, and what would you know about mothers." Regina stared intensely at Snow. She wouldn't let her win.

David could hear the maliciousness in her voice, and it scared him. She was the Evil Queen in that moment, and he could hear it in her voice.

That last comment hurt Snow, but she persisted anyways. No matter what Regina did to her, she needed to protect the town, and especially her family. "Regina, you have earned enough goodwill with us. We will give you one last chance to choose the right side, the side of good."

Regina was getting irritated. She was good, she was only trying to protect her baby. Of course, they wouldn't see it that way. With that, Regina disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke.

David put his head down on the table. When Regina disappeared, he took that as a sign that she didn't want to work with them, or that she was tired of pretending to be good. "What have I gotten myself into?" he thought.

Snow put a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him.

 **Mayor's Mansion**

With a cloud of purple smoke, Regina appeared in the living room of her mansion. She put her hands up to her face and broke down into tears. Cora heard her daughter's cries and ran into the living room. She immediately pulled her daughter into an embrace in an attempt to calm her.

"Darling, tell me what happened? What's wrong?" Cora questioned.

"Snow White. She…she saw us in the forest. She told David. He knows everything, now." It was hard to understand her, through the tears, but Cora understood the gist of what had happened.

"Oh darling, I'm so sorry. What did David say?"

"Nothing. He was really angry, mother. He will never want to be with me ever again."

"Darling, everything will be fine. When you explain to him what happened, he will understand."

"I don't think so…not this time. I lied to him, over and over again. He probably thinks that I am evil and that I don't love him."

Cora wanted to explain to her daughter that what they were doing was good, and in the end, David would see that. She softly stroked Regina's cheek to wipe away her tears. "Regina, in the end, David will see what a good person you are. You are trying to protect your unborn baby. How could be upset with you for that?"

"Maybe you're right, mother. I should go back and try to explain it to him." Regina stood up and wiped her tears away.

Cora stood up, too, and lightly grabbed her shoulder. "Just give him some time to cool off. Right now, we need to focus on finding that dagger. We don't have much time left."


	19. Chapter 19

**Snow's Apartment:**

David looked at the crown that Snow had placed on her table. "Snow, where did you get that?"

he asked her.

"Johanna. She is here in Storybrooke. Can you believe that? She's been here this whole time." Snow smiled at David softly. He knew that Snow loved Johanna, and that her relationship with her was complicated; Johanna had been like a second mother to Snow, especially after her mother had died.

"That's great, Snow. I am happy that you have a piece of your mother with you."

Snow tried to change the subject back to Regina. Snow knew the subject was really bothering David. "David, you know, I am still here for you. I hate to see you so upset."

"You don't have to be. I know what I did to you was unspeakable."

"David, I don't blame you. I love you, and we were together for a long time, so it makes this break-up hard for me. But…I don't blame you for following your heart."

"Thanks. Its just that, even after everything, I love Regina. And a big part of me believes that she is just trying to protect herself. I just don't get her right now."

"Gold always said that Regina was a complicated woman."

"I know that. People haven't seen her the way that I have seen her, though. She can be kind, and gentle, and loving. You should have seen her when she found out that we were going to have a baby. She was so happy. She wanted to start decorating the baby's room right away."

"Maybe you should go talk to her. Try to talk some sense into her."

"I don't know if I can. I can't trust her right now, or what she tells me." David continued with a frustrated tone, "and…she is pregnant. I don't know what she is thinking, but I am concerned about the baby. I mean, what if she gets scared, and runs off with it?"

Snow tried to reassure him. "We won't let that happen, David. That baby is as much yours as it is hers."

"I know that.. but that doesn't change the biology of the situation. What do you think we should do, Snow?"

"We could try to bind her magic, like we did before."

"That's a start I suppose. What I want to know is…why does she want that dagger?"

"You know Cora…she wants power. She probably needs Regina to get it."

"What if…what if we find the dagger first?" David said. "Then, we can be sure that whatever they have planned, we will be in control."

"That will be kind of hard…we have no idea where to look, and they have the map,"

"No, it won't be. Mr. Gold knows where it is at, and he is with Emma. He'll tell us where it is, or else he will be risking losing it to Cora."

 **Clocktower**

David and Snow ran up the stairs to the clocktower and found the dagger behind the old clock.

"Exactly where Mr. Gold said it would be." David let out a huge sigh of relief and exchanged delighted smiles with Snow.

"Not so fast." Cora and Regina appeared.

"Cora." Snow sneered.

Snow and David glared at the mother daughter duo.

"Regina, we told you to pick your side carefully. Good always wins."

Regina didn't say anything, but just stared at David with a remorseful expression on his face.

"Hand over the dagger," Cora demanded.

"No, I will never let you have this."

Suddenly, Johanna appeared in front of Snow and David. "Johanna!" Snow exclaimed. And with that Regina ripped out her heart. Johanna cried out in pain.

Finally, David spoke up. "Regina, _what_ are you doing?" David yelled at her. "Can you stop what you're doing and _think_ for just one second?" David was pleading with her and yelling at her at the same time.

Regina just stood there and said nothing. This was not the time to get into an argument.

"Hand over the dagger!" Cora demanded. "We both know that you only want to be good. You will hand it over. Just go ahead and do it and end this misery."

Just then, David took out his gun and pointed it at Cora.

Regina yelled, "Mother, watch out!" and Cora flew the gun out of the way. David's anger with Regina was growing with every passing second. It was obvious to him that she was being manipulated by Cora. He couldn't believe that she would be so gullible to fall for Cora's manipulations again. He knew he couldn't reason with her in that moment.

Regina squeezed Johanna's hearts, and David couldn't believe the mother of his child could behave so cruelly.

After some deliberation, Snow threw the dagger on the floor, which Cora immediately swiped.

Regina put Johanna's heart back in her chest, which relieved David momentarily. He hadn't completely lost her, yet.

Snow was growing weary, and wanted this nightmare to be over with. "You have what you came for."

"Not quite everything." Cora, in her bad mood, picked up Johanna and sent her flying through the window.

Snow and David looked down at the window and it was obvious that Johanna was dead. Snow collapsed into a heap of tears in David's arms.

"Well, there you have it…you see where good gets you." With that, Regina and Cora disappeared, leaving David and Snow in a state of tears and confusion.

 **Mayor's Mansion- living room**

Cora and Regina appeared in the living room. "Mother, was that really necessary?" Regina asked.

"I'm sorry, Regina. I was just so irritated with the both of them," Cora stated.

Regina understood this, and remembered when she had killed casually just because she was in a bad mood. As much as she didn't agree with it now, there was a part of her that understood it.

"Well…there goes any chance of a reunion with David. Now, Snow will have him serving her every need while she mourns her handmaid," Regina said, annoyed.

Regina was irritated with her mother. She blew her last chance for being with David. However, Cora was now the only person that she could rely upon; that would love her. "Goodnight, mother. I am tired and I am going to bed."

"Goodnight, darling. If you need me, I will be back in your vault."

Regina got ready for bed and fell asleep.

 **Regina's Bedroom**

It was 2am and David walked quietly into the mansion. He had a plan, and it involved talking to Regina, by herself.

He crept into Regina's room, and saw her sleeping peacefully. He shut the door and locked it, as quietly as possible. The blue fairy had given him a potion, that would temporarily disable Regina's magic. All David had to do was get Regina to drink it. She wouldn't drink it voluntarily of course. David would have to pour it down her throat, so he had to be quick. There would be a small window of opportunity where she would be disoriented enough from waking up that she wouldn't be able to resist him.

David sat on Regina's bed and opened the vile. He touched her face and opened her mouth just enough that he could pour the contents in. Regina swallowed it and started coughing. When she saw the figure standing next to her, she started to scream.

David was quick, though, and put a hand over her mouth to muffle her screams. He didn't want Cora to hear him if she was in the house. Regina's eyes were wide with fear, and David could tell that she was really scared. He felt a pang of guilt, knowing that she had no idea that he only wanted to talk.

"Regina, Regina, calm down." David used his whole body to restrain her. Her arms and legs were flailing around and she was struggling against him.

Regina calmed down for a second, and David though she was okay. They both were panting heavily. Suddenly, Regina waved her hands, and David knew that she was trying to disappear. The potion had worked, he realized. David knew that she didn't have her powers.

Regina panicked and tried to escape. She ran to the door and tried to open it, but it was locked. She tried unsuccessfully to open the door several times at a rapid pace, but then managed to get the door open. She ran down the hallway, which David followed. It was difficult to see, but the moonlight illuminated the hallways.

David chased Regina down the stairway. He was gaining on her, but didn't want to hurt her. She lost her balance and fell down the last few feet of steps. David hesitated for a moment, watching her fall.

Regina wasn't going to let that slow her down. She limped into the kitchen and got a knife. She could barely stand though, and she thought that maybe she sprained her ankle. David walked into the kitchen slowly with his hands help up in the air to show he was not armed.

Regina was shaking, and he could tell that she was terrified. She held the knife out in front of her and backed up slowly. Her sore ankle caused her to collapse against a wall in the kitchen, where she fell to the floor.

David used that opportunity to get the knife away from her. However, instead of keeping the knife, he flung it across the room to the floor several feet away.

He grabbed Regina by the wrists and held her in place. "Regina, listen." She continued to fight against him. "Listen!" he shouted. Regina instantly stopped moving, and tears started to flow. "Listen," he said more calmly. "I'm not here to hurt you. I just want to talk to you."

Regina looked at him intently. In a child-like voice, she said, "What do you want to talk about?"

David wanted to let go of her. "Are you going to run?"

Regina shook her head. "Good." He took out a pair of handcuffs and restrained one of her hands to a chair.

"Hey!" Regina exclaimed, trying to free her hand.

"No. I am not going to hurt you because you are carrying my child. But…we are going to talk." David kept his voice stern and cold. He loved Regina, but what she did was serious.

"Why are you here, David?"

"Seriously? Do you even have to ask? Let's start at the beginning." David raised his voice to a level between talking and yelling.

"First, you lie to me about having your magic. Then, you lied to me about your mother. Then, you continued to lie to me about scheming with your mother, and Hook for that matter." Regina looked down ashamedly as David listed off her crimes one by one.

"Oh, and what was that one last one. You _murdered_ Johanna."

"That wasn't me, okay!" Regina yelled tears brimming her eyes.

"How can you say that? Your _mother_ may have been the one to push her out that window, but you are just as responsible as her. You ripped her heart out!"

"I know, David. I know how it looks, but that wasn't supposed to happen. I swear!" Regina's voice was full of emotion.

David put two hands on her shoulders. He shook her, careful not to be too rough. "What are you doing, Regina? You promised me. You _promised_ that these days were behind you. I just asked you to be honest with me. Is that really too much to ask? Do you even love me?"

"Of course I do, David. I was only trying to protect out baby. After Rumple came and attacked me, my mother told me that we needed to get rid of him. This was our best opportunity to get the dagger from him. You have to believe me, David. I was only doing this for our baby."

"What about me? Would it have been too much to tell me what you were doing? To explain to me the situation? I could have protected you."

"David…" Regina started.

"No, you know…I don't think I even want to know." David pulled at his hair in frustration. "How are we supposed to get past this, Regina, when you can't trust me? When I can't trust you?"

"David, I do trust you…" David smiled and let out a chuckle when she said that. Regina could tell that he didn't believe her.

"Okay, so it's hard for me to trust people…" Regina admitted.

"But you can trust your mother?" David's face read that he could not figure her out or understand her.

"It's a complicated situation. David, please give me another chance. I love you."

"Regina, I told you that I would always be there for you. But this, what happened at the clocktower is too much. I can't do this anymore."

"So you don't love me?" Regina asked. Her heat felt like it was being shredded into a million pieces.

David knelt down in front of her so their faces were at the same level. He took her hand. "Of course I love you. I also love our baby, and that is not going to change. But, I can't watch you self-destruct anymore. I won't continue to be manipulated and lied to."

"Are you going to leave?" Regina asked heartbrokenly. She couldn't help but let the tears fall.

"For right now, yes. If you are ever in trouble, you can call me, and I will be here ASAP. But, we can't be together right now. I need some time apart."

"David, please don't go." Regina sobbed.

"I am sorry." Just then, the doorbell rang. David went and got it. It was Granny.

"Regina, I texted Granny to come over and examine you. I want to make sure that the baby is okay after you fell down the stairs. She can help you with your ankle, too."

Regina bit back. "I don't want her anywhere near me."

"You lost the right to make that decision. You will do it because it is what is best for the baby." Regina could tell that David was angry, and she immediately ceased arguing with him.

Granny came over to Regina and got her medical kit out.

"I will be staying at Snow's apartment. Goodnight, Regina." David opened up the front door.

Regina made one last attempt to keep David. "David," she pleaded. "Please don't go. _Please._ "

David stared at the front porch for a few seconds. He could hear her anguished cries and it killed him listening to her. He had to be strong, though. She needed to wake up and get herself together. He walked out the door and shut it.

As David walked back to his car, he could hear Regina's sobs get louder and more intense through the window.

He let a tear roll down his cheek as he drove away.


	20. Chapter 20

**Regina's Bedroom**

Regina was laying on top of her bed, not even underneath the covers, crying. Granny had wrapped her ankle in bandages, and checked the baby's heartbeat. Everything was fine, and Granny even gave her some painkillers. However, Regina had pain of the heart, which put her in more agony than any physical pain she had ever experienced.

Cora appeared, and rested a hand on her shoulder. "He left…" Regina cried.

"It will be okay, darling."

"How can you say that, mother? I told David everything, about Rumple and protecting the baby. He still left."

Cora started to gently rub her daughter's back, like she did when she was a little kid.

"Darling, I promise you, that in the end things will work out. You did the right thing, for the baby. David is upset right now because you lied to him. However, you have to keep your priorities straight. The most important thing is that we keep our focus. We have the dagger, but Rumplestilksin is dying. He will arrive in Storybrooke at anytime, and when he arrives we need to be ready."

"For what?" Regina asked despairingly.

"To kill him and take his power for our own."

"They were right, the only thing you care about is power," Regina commented.

"Darling, you know thats not true. Any power I gain will be for us; to protect my daughter and grandchild."

"What about David? What if he tries to stop us? Will you kill him, like you killed Daniel?"

"Regina, that was a mistake, and I am deeply sorry for that. I promise though, if David tried to interfere, I won't harm him. He will be safe."

 **Snow's Apartment**

David spent the rest of the evening trying to comfort Snow. In his attempt to calm her, he ended up kissing her. If he was honest with himself, he liked the comfort it provided himself, too. His life was relatively "normal" again. It was like being in the Enchanted Forest again; he and Snow vs. the Evil Queen.

It wasn't the same as kissing Regina, though. Regina was something else. He felt passion with her, and he had a fierce desire to protect her. He thought about her constantly. David wondered what she was doing, and if she was okay. He hated leaving her there, especially knowing that she had just fallen down the stairs. Luckily, Granny called him after she left and told him that other than being emotionally distraught, she was okay.

David knew he shouldn't feel sorry for her. A good woman died because of her irresponsibility, lies, and manipulations. Still, she had seemed so vulnerable, and it took every ounce of his determination to not go back into that mansion and tell her everything was going to be okay. He had to put an end to it. He wondered though, if leaving her alone at the mercy of her mother was a good idea. It was entirely possible that him leaving her by herself could actually make things worse. Time, was not something that Regina should be left alone with for too long.

 **Cemetery**

The funeral for Johanna had ended and everybody had left, including David and Snow. All that was left was a pile of fresh dirt next to a gravestone. It was starting to rain, and everybody had left in a hurry.

"Oh no! David, I think I dropped my phone. I need to go back and get it," Snow said after they had got settled in David's truck.

"Snow, stay here. I'll go get it." Snow had already had a rough day, and he felt that it was the least he could do.

David looked up and down the path that they had take to try and find Snow's phone. He had almost reached Johanna's gravesite, when he saw Regina standing next to it.

"What is she doing here, he wondered. He hid behind a tree that was close enough to where he could see and hear her, but not be seen by her."

The rain was picking up, but he didn't care. He wanted to know what she was doing.

He saw Regina put a single rose on top of the gravesite. "Johanna, I am _so_ sorry for what happened to you. I am a _truly_ evil person. You didn't deserve this."

"I just was trying to protect my baby. I didn't want any of this to happen. Please understand that." With that, she dropped to her knees and picked up 2 handfuls of dirt in her hands. The feeling of the dirt in her palms was oddly comforting. Regina crouched down into a position so that her face was nearly touching her knees, and started crying. David could tell that she was in pure anguish.

His heart broke at the sight her, lying at the gravesite in the rain. It was obvious that she felt really guilty about the situation.

He saw Snow's phone on the ground where she had dropped it. He rushed back to the car.

"Snow, I hate to ask you this, but do you think that you can drive back to the apartment by yourself?"

"Sure, David. What's wrong?"

"Its Regina. I need to help her." That was all David said. Snow agreed and they parted.

David ran back to the gravesite. Regina was still sitting there in the same position, but no longer sobbing. He could not just leave here there.

David walked up to her, and put a blanket over her that he had grabbed from his truck.

Regina looked up at him, and the tears ignited again, this time viciously. He crouched down next to Regina and put his arms around her.

The rain was steady, but it wasn't too bad. After several minutes, he noticed that Regina's skin was becoming ice cold. He got up and motioned for Regina to get up, too.

She couldn't though. Regina tried, but she was too distraught, and instead collapsed into a heap of tears again.

David picked her up, gently. Snow had taken his truck back to the apartment. He had an idea though. Regina's vault was not too far from this spot, so he carried her there.

Once David entered Regina's vault, he took her to a remote room in the back. It was a nice room, and very modern looking for being inside a vault. He sat her down on a couch.

"David, I am _so_ sorry. I didn't want her to die. I didn't know that was going to happen. I am _so_ sorry."

At her state and condition, David caved. He scooped her up in his arms and placed Regina's legs over his lap with her head in the crook of his neck. He placed a tender kiss on her forehead. "I know you are, I know you are…" David gently whispered to her.

After several minutes, the cries died down, and Regina was trying to regain her composure. They both laid on the couch, motionless.

"What's going to happen now?" Regina asked David, her voice barely above a whisper.

"You're going to go home, and clean yourself up," David responded.

"And you? What are you going to do?"

David hesitated, but he went on. "I am going to go back to Snow's apartment."

Regina let a tear fall down her cheek. "So you've made your choice?"

"Regina, I want to be with you, so much. I love you, and it kills me to see you this way." David started.

Regina looked at him with a big smile, "Really?"

"…but, I can't. I need to be with a person that I can trust…and at the moment, that's… _not_ you."

That crushed Regina, but she maintained her composure. Regina stood up, and used her magic to change herself into clean clothes.

"Okay. I guess I'll see you later, then."

"Regina…" Before David could finish his sentence, Regina vanished in a puff of smoke.

 **Snow's Apartment**

Back at Snow's apartment, David walked in.

"David, where have you been?"

David didn't respond, but kissed Snow passionately. He just wanted to forget everything. He wanted to forget about Regina, and the pain he was causing her, and the pain she was causing him, and the pain that she was causing herself.

After several minutes of intense kissing, David took Snow's hand and led her to the bed.

"David, are you sure you want to do this?" Snow asked concerned. In the heat of the moment, he placed kisses down her jawline.

"Does that tell you your answer?"


	21. Chapter 21

**Snow's Apartment**

The next morning, David and Snow woke up next to each other when the alarm clock sounded. "What time is it?" David groaned.

"Its only 7 am."

"Plenty of time to sleep-in some more."

Snow took her fingers and made light circles on David's chest. "Or…we could use our time more productively," Snow hinted.

David turned to face towards the wall and readjusted himself into a more comfortable position. "I'm kind of tired, not right now." David's voice was cold and sounded disinterested in her. That hurt Snow a lot.

David and Snow remained in bed for another hour or so…thinking but not doing much else. They then got up and ate some breakfast that Snow made.

Breakfast was awkward with neither saying anything.

Snow, tired of the tension, asked David. "Are we going to talk about last night, or just avoid it?"

David sighed. "I'm sorry Snow, I shouldn't have done that. I shouldn't have led you on." Snow was expecting this response, so it didn't hurt her that much.

"David, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"What is your end goal? What do you want?"

"I don't know Snow…" David sighed.

"David, I think you _do_ know what you want. You just need to admit it to yourself."

After several moments of thinking, David responded, "I want Regina. I want to marry her and to raise our child together. I want to trust her and love her and receive all of that in return." David felt better after finally admitting that to Snow. 'Unfortunately, though, I don't know if that will ever be possible."

Suddenly, David got a call from Emma.

 _-"We have Gold, he is dying. Can you help me protect him against Regina and Cora?"_

 _-"Of course. We'll meet you at the pawn shop ASAP."_

 **Gold's Pawn Shop**

"What's that?" Emma questioned. There was a loud ruckus coming from downstairs.

"That's Regina and Cora." David exclaimed. "They're here." David held out his sword, bracing himself.

"Come on, Regina," he thought. "Show us that you can change."

"Are you ready dear?" Cora asked.

Regina nodded her head yes, and then in unison they conjured a massive fireball that instantly destroyed the barrier spell. They walked as a united force into the pawn shop, but were met with Snow, David, Emma, and Neal.

"Regina, think about what you're doing," Emma said.

"Don't talk to me." Regina replied.

Regina conjured a fireball and directed it at Neal. Unfortunately, David got in the way, and deflected it.

Regina was surprised that David had made such a move. She didn't want him to get hurt in this magical battle, and she knew that even the 4 of them together wouldn't be able to stand a fighting chance against them. She took David and magically pushed him out the door.

As the battle ensured, Cora threw Emma and Neal to opposite corners of the room, shattering objects close to where they landed.

David, worried about Regina and the baby, entered the pawn shop again. Regina turned around briefly to look at David, when Emma grabbed her from behind and held a knife to her throat.

"Emma! Stop! Let her go." David commanded.

Emma shoved Regina across the room which ended up pushing both her and Cora into a glass case, shattering it.

David used this opportunity to place a magical wristband on each of their wrists, to prevent them from accessing their magic. He then helped Regina get up, and noticed that she had several large cuts from the shattered glass.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine," she replied.

She looked down at her wrist, at the magical cuff, clawing at it. "What is this, David?"

"Gold gave it to me. It's a wristband…that blocks magic."

"David, why are you doing this to me?"

"Regina, seriously? Do you even have to ask? You and your mother come storming in here ready to kill Mr. Gold, and you're asking me why I am binding your magic?" Obviously, he and Regina had different ideas of what was a reasonable expectation of a person.

"No matter, I don't need magic. I can kill him myself." She went to walk past him, but David put an arm out in front of her.

"I can't let you do that."

"You can't stop me."

"Yes, I can." David said in an exasperated tone. David handcuffed her, careful not to make her wrists too tight.

"Where are you taking me?"

"I think that you need to be alone for a while, to calm down."

"So you're taking me to jail? I haven't done anything wrong." Once again, David stared at her with disbelief in his eyes. He didn't know how she could justify herself.

"I am not taking you to jail per se." David continued, "I am taking you to the hospital, where you will be comfortable, and they can help you look at your injuries." David motioned to the cut on her hand.

However, Regina knew he meant the hospital basement. "No! I am not going there. I won't let you take me."

Regina used her elbows to punch David in the gut, which stunned him momentarily. She escaped through the front door.

She ran down the main street as fast as she could, with David chasing after her several moments later. Finally, David caught up to her and tried to grab her, causing Regina to stumble and fall. David got caught up in Regina's legs, which caused him too to fall on top of her.

They both stayed like that for some time staring intensely at each other, out of breath, and panting.

Eventually, David got up and Regina followed. "Regina, nothing is going to happen to you. I just want to make sure that you are safe…and away from your mother for a while. She is not good for you."

"What are you going to do to her?" Regina cried.

" _Nothing_. But, I can't let her wander around Storybrooke trying to become the Dark One and kill people. Surely, you can understand that." David wished that Regina could see reason, but her version of fairness and reason was so out of touch.

"So, you're just going to keep us locked up?" Regina sneered.

"Temporarily. Until we can find a better solution."

"Who is we?" Regina asked.

"Me…Snow, and the blue fairy." Regina smirked in disgust.

 **Hospital Basement**

David and Granny treated Regina's wounds from the shattered glass, and then Granny left Regina and David alone, to talk.

"How is my mother?" Regina asked.

"She is doing fine. She is down the hall."

"I want to see her." Regina insisted.

"I don't think that is a good idea." David's answer was a no, but he tried to soften the blow.

"Regina, you have hated your mother for so long, why the change now?"

Regina stayed quiet for a long time, as it was hard to explain. "She loves me. It was hard for me to see that as a child, but I understand now that everything she did was for me." She continued several minutes later. "She came back, and she told me she loved me. She was so excited about the baby when I told her, and all that we were trying to do was protect it."

David had sympathy for Regina and expected that she was probably telling the truth. However, Cora he doubted.

"I wanted to have it all. You, the baby, and my mother. All I have ever wanted was a family, David. I thought that I could have everything." She started crying as she went on. "Now though, I have nothing."

David embraced her and explained to her that she still had an opportunity to have all of those things. "Here is what is going to happen. I am going to have Archie come in for sessions, everyday for a while."

"David…" Regina protested.

"Listen, I don't think that you are unstable, or crazy. However, it is obvious that you need to talk to someone and work through these issues that you have."

"I don't have issues." Regina said angrily.

"Regina, you were trying to kill a man… _today._ And on top of that, I think that you are in despair. I have never seen you cry as much as you have in the past 3 months. I just think that it would be helpful if you talked to someone about it. Someone that you can trust…which I know is not me at the moment." David's voice was gentle at the end.

David looked around the room, where he noticed a strong draft. He didn't want to keep Regina in here, but there was really no other place he could keep her besides the jail cell, which was understandably worse. He left the cell and returned with a few extra blankets. Regina refused them, though.

After several weeks, Regina had refused to talk to Archie and was now refusing to eat. She just would lie on her cot for hours all day.

David had had enough of this irresponsible and selfish behavior. They had a child to think about, and she needed to get it together. He knew what she was doing, trying to use his concern for the baby to manipulate him. He wasn't going to give in.

He called Dr. Christopher and told him that Regina was ill and had not eaten the last few days. Dr. Christopher didn't seem that concerned about it, and explained that it wouldn't hurt the baby if she was able to eat again soon.

David knocked on Regina's door and opened it.

"Regina, I brought you lunch from Granny's." he said gently. He brought her her favorite sandwich and salad, in an attempt to coerce her into eating.

"I'm not hungry," Regina said.

Frustrated, David made her turn around and look at him. "Regina, you _will_ eat something. This childish behavior needs to stop. You have a baby to think about."

Still, Regina refused to eat anything.

He didn't know how she managed it, but she managed to go on without eating a single morsel for the next two days.

 **Gold's Pawn Shop**

"Well, look who we have here," Mr. Gold said as David and Snow walked in.

"What can I do for you today?"

"It's Regina…she has refused to eat anything for nearly 3 days and I am really concerned about our baby. Can you help us?

"Afraid not, Charming. There are no spells for what you seek. If you want Regina to eat, perhaps you should force her to do so."

"Please, there has to be something. You owe me. I saved your life."

Mr. Gold knew that he was right. He was indebted to the prince.

"Okay, okay. I do have one idea. If the baby's health is what you seek, than why don't you just take it?"

"That's not possible. Regina is only 4-5 months pregnant. She still has months to go." Snow chimed in.

Rumple handed David some yellow dust. "This dust has the power to make things grow. Sprinkle a list on Regina, and soon you will have a beautiful baby…that you can snatch away." Gold smirked at that last part.

"You can't be serious? That would destroy any and all trust between me and Regina. She would hate me."

"Your choice. You can have a furious Evil Queen or a soon-to-be dead baby. What's more important to you?"

When David and Snow left, Rumple smiled. He knew Regina too well. There was no way that she would risk her baby's life that way…not after how long she had wanted a child, and had made desperate attempts for years to secure one. He had known her for too long. She must have done something to prevent that, although he wasn't sure what.

 **Hospital Basement**

Regina was thinking about how much she wanted to leave the cell room. The more time she spent there, the guiltier she felt about keeping Belle in this prison for nearly 30 years. She was lonely, and bored all the time. David wouldn't let her see or talk to her mother, either. However, she looked forward to when David visited her the past few weeks, which he would do on a regular basis, even though she would never let him know it.

For several weeks, she stored bits of non-perishable food items from her trays of food and hid them in her pillowcase. She wanted David to let her out of the cell, and if she had to manipulate him into doing it, than so be it. Regina was not about to let David control her. Of course, she wasn't going to risk her baby's life just to make a point. However, David didn't know that.

 **Snow's Apartment**

David and Snow had returned to Snow's apartment, and were sitting at the kitchen table contemplating on what to do about Regina and the baby.

"I can't do it, Snow. Regina, she would hate me. You were right, I do want to be with her. I just don't know how to get through to her. She needs guidance, and she needs someone that will stand up to her. Her mother has manipulated her into doing all of this, I am sure of it."

"David, I understand. I know Regina and her mother better than anyone. Stop making excuses for her. You need to consider what she is doing to that poor baby. You are its father, and you have a responsibility to protect it."

"What am I going to do with the baby once its here? Just take it from Regina? Just like that?" David sounded exasperated. No option seemed like a good one.

"David, you can't leave the baby with her. Who knows what will happen. I know you want to believe that Regina would never hurt a baby, especially her own, but you don't know that. Look at what she has done in the past."

"So, I'll bring the baby back here. We can take care of it, and Regina will just have to accept our help. Once I can get her to agree to some ground rules, then she can have the baby back."

David stood up, and got his keys. "Where are you going?" Snow asked.

"To do what needs to be done."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Snow asked.

"No. I don't want to put Regina through anymore unnecessary pain than what it will already be. If you're there, it will just upset her more. Besides, this apartment is no where near ready for a baby. Can you help get it ready?"

Snow smiled. It was a bittersweet moment. She hated knowing that they were about to put Regina through what would surely be a traumatic experience. However, she knew that Regina had brought all of this upon herself. It would be nice to have a baby to take care of, too. Snow never got to spend time with Emma as a baby…because of Regina. She had always wanted a baby to take care of. In a small, remote part of Snow's soul, she even hoped having a baby in the house with Charming would repair their relationship. Even if it wasn't their child together, Charming might be able to see what a better option it would be to have a stable relationship rather than a turbulent and explosive relationship with Regina.


	22. Chapter 22

**Hospital**

David walked into the Storybooke Hospital and explained to the nurses what was going to happen. Luckily, Blue was there and directed much of the nurses to start preparing a room for her. David made arrangements so that Regina would have the best room in the hospital, as well as the best set of nurses to help her deliver the baby. He knew no matter what, Regina wasn't going to be happy, but he didn't want the birth experience to be particularly traumatic. That was the last thing she needed. He stared at the birthing suite. It was dimly lit, and looked peaceful enough. He thought he better go to Regina and explain to her what was going to happen.

David peered into the basement cell, and saw that Regina was sitting on her cot staring out the window. It was nearing Christmas time, and there was a heavy snow falling outside.

He opened the door, and Regina glanced at him.

"Well, how nice of you to grace us with your presence." Regina sneered.

"Regina, don't be like that." David said.

"Why? How long are you going to keep me locked up in here?"

"Not much longer," David replied with a sad expression. After the baby was born, he wanted to let Regina return to her house. There would be no point in keeping her here once he and Snow had the baby.

"Really?" Regina asked hopefully. David nodded, knowing that she was not going to like the logistics of it.

"Regina, I need to talk to you," David sighed.

"You talk to me everyday, _Charming_."

David sat down on the cot next to her, and looked at her with a serious expression.

"You know how much I love you, right?" Regina didn't say anything, but deep down she thought that he was sincere.

"You know how much I love our baby?" Regina nodded her head in agreement, because she knew David really did love the baby very much.

"Its just that…I have a responsibility to protect this baby." Regina's eyes widened. She did not like how this conversation was going.

"What's your point?" she asked.

David knew she just wanted to know what was going on. That was fine by him, because he didn't want to skirt around the situation any longer. "I am going to take the baby for a while," he said.

Regina was thoroughly confused. Why was he telling her this now? She wasn't due for another several months.

"I seriously doubt that. Besides, a lot can happen in 4-5 more months."

"Regina, that's what I am here to talk to you about. I am concerned about the baby. You haven't been eating, and that could seriously harm the child."

"Then, let me leave this cell, and you won't have to worry any longer." Regina gave him a sweet smile trying to provoke him.

"I will let you leave, but I can't let you leave with the baby. I need to know that you are responsible, and that you will take care of this baby."

Regina didn't say anything. She couldn't respond to that, without telling him that it was all just a rouse.

"I still don't understand what you're getting at." Regina was getting irritated, and the way he was talking made her develop an awful feeling in her stomach.

"Mr. Gold gave me some dust that will let our baby grow. Our baby can be born tonight."

David's words hit her like a ton of bricks. She stood up abruptly and started pacing back and forth. Regina felt like she would collapse from anxiety at any moment. David could tell that she was becoming _very_ upset _very_ rapidly. She was trying to process this information, but it was all too much. She couldn't think because so many thoughts were swirling in her head at the same time.

David tried to calm her down. "Regina, calm down. Calm down, and lets talk about this." David kept his distance from her, trying to give her some space.

"What do you mean, talk? You're going to take my baby away from me?" Regina was really in a state of panic at that moment. She was breathing erratically, crying, and talking to herself all at the same time. She was a mess. A beautiful mess, David thought, but still a mess.

Eventually, Regina huddled herself into a corner and cried. "The crying has to stop," David thought. This is not who she is.

David sat down on a chair, and waited for her to stop crying. He knew she needed time to process all of this. He wanted her to have a chance to come to terms with what was going to happen before he started it all. It wasn't really fair to Regina for him to walk in and tell her she was going to be giving birth, when she hadn't been expecting it for another 4-5 months. However, in David's mind, he was doing the right thing for everybody. And he had no intention of keeping Regina from the baby for an extended amount of time. She had to make a decision to do what was right for the baby, though.

When Regina's cries started to quiet down, he crouched down beside her, and embraced her. Regina was too tired to fight it, and let him. " _Please_ don't do this to me, David. I _promise_ that I will be good. Don't take the baby."

"Regina, this will be good for everybody in the long run, you will see," he whispered.

"Don't say that. I can't live without this baby. It will be too painful."

"You won't have to. I _want_ you to have this baby. I love you, and I want us to live in your mansion, and raise this child together. But, I have to trust you. And right now, I don't."

"David, please. I will do _anything_. Just tell me what and I will do it."

"I want you to go to therapy sessions with Archie. I want you to stop the manipulations, and the lies. Your first impulse when something goes wrong cannot be to kill someone. I know that is hard for you, but I also know that you want to be a good person. I can help you, but you have to let me."

"What's going to happen to the baby?" she asked.

"Snow and I will keep the baby in the meantime. I promise you though, you can visit the baby whenever you want." David stroked Regina's hair.

"You're going to let _her_ have the baby?" Regina's nightmare kept getting worse and worse. She didn't want to _visit_ her baby, she wanted to keep the baby with her the whole time.

"Temporarily, yes."

Regina had never felt more despair in her whole life. She was truly living in hell, and she had been so happy just several weeks ago.

They stayed quiet for several minutes. David stood up, and motioned for Regina to stand up, too. Defeated, Regina finally submitted.

"I can't do this, David. I'm not ready." David realized that she was talking about giving birth.

"I'm scared," Regina admitted to him. That was painful to admit, because she had never been scared about much in her adult life.

"It's going to be okay. I arranged for the best care that this hospital can provide." David tried to remain positive about the situation.

"Wow, I am so impressed," Regina replied sarcastically.

David smiled inwardly at that last comment. That sounded more like the Regina he knew. Not the scared little girl she had been since her mother came back.

"Come on, let's go." David reached out for her hand, which she hesitantly accepted.

When David opened the door, she looked up and down the hallway. This was her chance to escape. That thought only lasted momentarily, as she realized that her chances of escaping were dismal. As she walked down the hallway, she stole a glance at her mother through the small window of the door, who looked desolate sitting in her hospital cell. They stared into each other's eyes, before Regina turned her head away. Cora knew instantly that something was wrong.

When they arrived at the birthing suite, Regina was filled with anxiety and anticipation. Part of her was excited to meet her baby. Unfortunately, it was bittersweet because she knew that their reunion would be short-lived.

A nurse greeted her, and smiled at her happily. Regina thought that the nurse either didn't know what was really going on, or David had asked them not to treat her any differently. They must know something though, she thought. She was barely showing, and here she was in the birthing suite. All the nurses acted like this was a normal day though, like it was nothing out of the ordinary.

One kind nurse asked Regina if she was okay. She could tell that Regina was nervous by the way she was shaking. She offered to give Regina a mild sedative, to relax her nerves. "You will still feel normal," the nurse explained. "This will just calm your nerves a bit." Regina happily accepted the offering, as she would do anything to dull any part of her misery.

Finally, David sprinkled the dust on her. There was really no use in fighting him about it. Without her magic, she was powerless to do anything. She thought the best solution at the moment, was to just do what he asked. Deep down, she knew that he had good intentions.

The dust didn't work instantaneously like Regina thought it would. In fact, after he sprinkled it on her, she didn't really feel any different.

The nurse offered to let her take a shower while they waited for the dust to take affect. Regina agreed. "So they do know…"Regina thought.

As she stood in the shower, she could feel the baby growing inside her. It was painful. Pregnancy was intended to take 9 months for a reason; to let the muscles grow and expand, gently.

With every passing moment, she experienced more and more pain, followed by nausea. David heard her anguished moans from the bathroom. He went in to check on her, and she was crouched down leaning on the edge of the shower wall. She rocked herself back and forth slowly, trying to comfort herself.

"David," she whimpered. "Help me, please."

Regina was completely naked, but he knew she didn't care about that in that moment, and neither did he. When he saw how much her stomach had grown, he knew they wouldn't have to wait much longer. He took most of his clothes off, except for his undergarments, and got into the shower with her, which proved to be quite spacious. He rubbed her back, and told her that it would soon be over with.

Regina had remarkable pain tolerance he thought. She moaned and whimpered every once in a while, but she only cried on the rare occasion.

After some time, the shower floor had filled with warm water, which helped to soothe her aching muscles. Regina could no longer tell if the pain she was experiencing was from the baby growing or from contractions. It all seemed to blend together.

"David," she moaned. 'I can feel something."

"What can you feel?" he asked.

She reached down with her hand and felt the top of the baby's head.

"I…I think I can feel the baby's head." That had caught Regina by surprise. It was all so surreal. Still, her heart melted at the thought of touching her baby. David was now sitting behind her, so she took David's hand gently, and had him feel, too. David smiled at her, and kissed her cheek softly.

Regina loved David and hated him at the same time. In these moments, she didn't care what the future held, though. She needed comfort, and he was willing to provide it to her.

"Can I get a nurse?" David yelled. Instantly, a nurse walked into the bathroom, and examined the progress.

"Well, let's see. I think we will be able to deliver this baby any minute, now." The nurse smiled at Regina.

The nurse instructed her on pushing. It took a good hour, but finally Regina gave one last big push, and the baby slid out.

The nurse put the baby on Regina's chest, and Regina started crying. "What is it?" Regina asked. Her voice was ragged and weary sounding. It was obvious that she was on the brink of pure exhaustion.

"It looks like it is a healthy baby boy," the nurse smiled.

The baby cried loudly, and Regina teared up at hearing the sound. She put her hand on her son's back and gently stoked it. He was still a little blue and slimy, but he was beautiful.

David thought that he had never witnessed a more beautiful sight in the world. He continued kissing Regina's neck and telling her much he loved her and how proud he was of her.

While the baby lay on Regina's chest, David took his hand and stroked the baby's head. The baby had a head full of dark hair, just like Regina's, and he thought the baby couldn't be any more beautiful.


	23. Chapter 23

**Hospital**

Regina was sound asleep on the hospital bed. David had coerced her into taking a break, as it was clear the she was exhausted. Regina made him promise to keep the baby at the hospital for the night. Of course, he agreed. No matter what would happen in the future, he thought it would be good for Regina to have a chance to connect with their baby.

He was trying desperately to explain to Regina that what he was doing was going to benefit all of them in the long run. The baby would have a stable environment and she would have an opportunity to resolve some of her issues without the added stress of a baby to take care of 24/7.

He watched her sleep alongside the baby in his hospital bassinet. David had brought Regina a long, white nightgown from her closet. The fabric was soft, and he thought she looked positively angelic. He thought she looked similar to Snow when she had given birth to Emma.

It was the middle of the night, when the baby started to stir. Regina woke up and asked David to hand her the baby. He conceded.

"David, he's so beautiful."

"Just like his mother," David added. David couldn't help but smile at his son, and at Regina. His heart felt like it was going to explode. Everything he wanted was right in this room. At that moment, he felt that life was perfect.

David and Regina spent a lot of time just staring and touching the baby. She felt like hours had passed and her eyes began to hurt.

Ruby had stopped by to bring David and Regina some food. "Granny and I thought you guys would appreciate some food that wasn't from the hospital cafeteria."

David laughed and thanked Ruby. Regina ate her sandwich, happily. "Why could she not have done that yesterday?" he sighed.

"Oh no," David thought. Ruby left her iconic red coat on the chair. He would have to remember to bring it back to her on their way back, tomorrow.

"Regina, I think we should talk about tomorrow." David sighed. He didn't want to ruin their happy moments, but he wanted Regina to be prepared. She had been a great mother to the baby so far, and he could tell that she loved the baby fiercely. He still couldn't trust her completely, though. It was better to be honest about his expectations for the following day.

"What about tomorrow?" she asked, almost as if she had completely forgotten about it.

"I am going to take you back to your house in the morning. I thought we could spend some time together with the baby for a while, and give you a chance to rest. I know you are still exhausted."

Regina smiled. "I like that idea."

David continued, trying to remain calm and casual. "I want you to know, that when we leave…if you need anything, you can call me and I will be over ASAP." Regina's heart broke into a million pieces knowing that he was really intending on going through with that.

"So…you're still going to leave?" Regina asked heartbroken.

"Regina, we talked about this."

"I know…I just didn't think you would actually go through with it." Regina tried to keep her composure.

"Regina, you have been doing a great job with the baby, I will admit that. But I honestly feel terrified to leave you alone with him. I have this constant dread, that you are going to run off with the baby or doing something irresponsible. And soon, I will have to return the work and I won't be able to stay home with you and the baby all day. For right now, this is the best solution I can come up with."

Regina looked at the tender, sleeping baby in her arms and let a tear roll down her cheek.

"You promise this won't be forever?" she asked him.

He placed his arm on her shoulder. "I promise. And like I said, you can see the baby whenever you want." That piece of information barely soothed her.

Nightfall came again, and Regina saw that David was asleep. She put her plan into motion. There was no way that she was going to allow Snow White to have _her_ baby.

She got up quietly and tiptoed towards her son. "Hi, baby" she whispered softly, as she picked him up.

The baby started to whimper. "Shh, shh" Regina said as she tried to calm her baby down. She took the remainder of the food contents out of the picnic basket that Ruby had brought by, and placed her son in the basket. He fit perfectly, and was sound asleep. She then put on Ruby's red coat that she had forgotten, too.

She wrote David a note, and placed it in the baby bassinet.

- _I'm sorry, David. I can't let you take this baby. I love you, and I promise you that I would never hurt him._

With that, Regina quietly slipped out of the room.

On her way out the hospital, she got stopped by a nurse.

"Hey Ruby! I didn't know that Granny's offered midnight delivery service."

Regina didn't turn around, but said. "It's a new service we offer."

"Well, could you bring me back a sandwich?"

Regina was getting anxious, so she said "Sure, I'll be right back."

Finally, Regina had made it out of the hospital with her son in tow. "I did it," she smiled relieved.

The snow was falling heavily, and she needed to seek shelter fast. She managed to pack some blankets into the basket with her baby, so she knew he would be safe. She, however, was freezing. She had a lightweight gown on with a coat. It wasn't exactly snowstorm ready.

Regina looked around for an escape route. She knew she couldn't take the main roads anywhere. She would be too easily spotted. She decided to take the more dangerous, but more obscure route through the forest. There was a cottage not far from the hospital. She and David had stayed there before, although she knew he would most likely search her mansion and vault before even considering looking for her there.

Regina took her baby and trekked through the dense forest. She was a sight for sore eyes. Even after just giving birth she was gorgeous. Her raven hair against her white nightgown and blood red coat made her look stunning.

She reached the cottage in only about 10 minutes. She took her baby out and gazed at him. He was still sleeping so peacefully. She started a fire in the fireplace and laid down next to it. She was exhausted, but she could finally rest peacefully knowing that she had her baby, and that nobody could separate them.

"David! Wake up!" a nurse shook him. David instantly woke up, dazed from confusion.

"What time is it?"

"It's still the middle of the night, sir. David, we can't find Regina or the baby. They're gone.'

"What?" David asked. "Are you sure? How do you know?"

The nurse silently handed David the note that was left in the bassinet.

"Regina," he sighed. She could never listen. He could not trust her for a second to be alone with the baby. In that moment, he felt justified in everything that he had done. She had done _exactly_ what he had thought she would do.

"Call the police station, call Emma and Snow," David commanded. He and the blue fairy rounded up an entire search party to look for them.

"She couldn't have gone that far. She doesn't have magic," David said. David was more irritated than anything. He didn't think that the baby was _really_ in any danger. Still, though. He wanted his son, and he would have this whole town looking for her if thats what it took.

Emma agreed to search the mansion and Snow agreed to search her vault.

David contemplated where he should look first. He retraced her footsteps down the hall. "Where would I go, if I were Regina?" he asked himself.

He looked at the main roads. "That would be too obvious," he thought. The same for the mansion and the vault. He knew that she would expect him to go there first.

He stared at the forest for a while. "No, she wouldn't go through the forest. It would be too dangerous."

Then, he thought about it again. "No, that's exactly where she would go, because it _was_ dangerous."

He looked at the fresh layers of snow on the ground. He gazed over the ground until he saw a set of footprints. He knew they had to be hers. He took his flashlight and raced down the path she had created.

Soon, he came across the cabin that he and Regina had stayed in a while back. He knew she was there, she had to be. He approached the cabin carefully, trying not to make any noise. Unfortunately, David stepped on a twig that loudly broke in half. He closed his eyes in regret.

Regina instantly woke up at the sound, and she knew that someone must be close to the cabin. She had to escape. She gathered the sleeping baby in her arms, and wrapped him in blankets. Her heart was racing, and she was fearful that David had found her.

David approached the cabin carefully, and peered slightly in the window. He saw the fireplace lit, and the empty basket that Ruby had left with him. He knew that they were close by.

Regina saw David from a hidden corner in the cottage. He was there, and she needed to leave immediately. She sucked in a deep breath, and slowly opened the backdoor.

When all looked clear, Regina took the baby and ran as fast as she could.

David heard her footsteps in the snow and ran outback. It was not hard to see her with her red coat against the white snow. She could barely run, and was stumbling all over the place, tripping over her long garments, It was a pathetic attempt on her part, he thought. Regina was a strong woman in great shape, but she had just given birth.

"Regina!' he yelled. "Stop where you are! You know that there is no way you can escape." His voice was powerful and commanding. She knew that she had lost.

Regina stopped, and slowly turned around with the baby in her arms. She was breathing heavily from the running trying to catch her breath.

He noted how stunning she looked as the snow continued falling. He ran up to her.

"Give me the baby, Regina." he ordered her.

"No, no.." she tried to defend herself, but she was too weak, and she all of a sudden felt faint. David recognized that she didn't look well, and before he could do anything, she collapsed on the ground.

David thought that she had collapsed from exhaustion, but it became obvious that it was something more serious. Her white dress started to display a large blood red circle that was growing by the second. She needed medical attention as soon as possible. He picked her up in his arms and placed the baby on her chest and carried her back to the hospital, powering through the snowstorm that was picking up in intensity.


	24. Chapter 24

Snow was at the hospital searching for David, when she saw him carrying back Regina and the baby. She ran up to meet him. "David, what happened?"

"Snow, take the baby," he said. Snow took the baby as David kept walking carrying Regina.

"I need some help please!" David shouted.

Instantly, a swarm of nurses surrounded him. The new doctor on staff also came out to greet him. "What happened, David?"

"She's bleeding badly. I think it might be a complication from labor. Can you help her?"

"Of course," he replied. The new doctor was very old, and seemed very kind and gentle.

The nurses took Regina away to examine her. David collapsed on a hospital bench, sweating profusely. Regina wasn't that heavy, but having to carry her and a newborn baby for nearly 1.5 miles was no easy task.

Snow came up to him, and sat down next to him.

"Are you alright, David?" she asked him softly.

"No, I'm not. I don't know what to do with her. She's not happy."

"Well, of course not," Snow replied. "Can you really blame her?"

David thought about that question for a while. "No, I suppose not. She is just _infuriating_ , though. Every time I think she gotten past something, she runs off and does something stupid."

"You're going to have to be patient with her. You can't expect her to change overnight. You know how Regina is." Snow continued. "Maybe instead of expecting her to change, you should ask yourself if you can provide her any room for mistakes. Can you really love someone, as you say you do, if you put so many conditions on that love?"

"Thats not it. I have given out forgiveness _liberally_ to her. I told her she could see the baby whenever she wanted. What more can I give her?"

"David, I know that this situation isn't easy. However, look at it from her point of view. You locked her up, took away her magic, took away her mother, and tried to give her baby to her archenemy. How did you expect she would react?"

Snow went on. "…and, I am not saying that any of that was the _wrong_ thing to do. However, you can't expect her to trust you so easily under those circumstances."

"I explained all of this to her," David replied angrily.

"Regina is a complicated woman. If you want to be with her, you're just going to have to accept that."

Snow then changed the subject. "The baby is beautiful, David." She looked down at the baby in her arms and smiled at him.

David did the same. He certainly was the fairest of them all.

After several moments of gazing at the new baby, Snow asked David to make a decision.

"What do you want me to do, David?" Snow asked.

David thought long and hard about the situation. "Take the baby home," David said. "He's been through a lot. He must have been out in the weather tonight for at least 20-30 minutes. I'll be home later on."

Snow nodded her head in agreement, and took the baby home.

"How is she, doctor?" David asked staring at Regina's still unconscious body.

"She'll be okay," the doctor replied. "I think she accidentally pulled out one of her stitches." That wasn't hard for David to believe, since she had been sprinting, through the forest, in the dark.

"We fixed it though, and gave her some pain medication. She lost a little bit of blood, but I think with some rest she'll be as good as new."

"Thank-you, doctor," David said. The doctor and David parted ways, and David was left alone with Regina.

He sat down next to her, and held her hand. He placed a soft kiss on her cheek. "I am truly sorry for all of this misery. I hope you can forgive me."

"David," Regina said, groggily. She started to sit up, and David gently helped her. "Where am I? Where is the baby?"

He could tell that she was confused and a little disoriented. "You're okay. You're stitches came out a little and you fainted."

Regina started remembering everything that had happened. The baby. The cabin. The snow.

"David, where is the baby?" she asked panicking, looking around for him.

"He's alright." After a long pause, he stated solemnly, "I asked Snow to take him home."

"You did what? How could you, David?"

Regina rolled on her side facing away from him, and started sobbing. David put his hand on her back, rubbing it gently trying to comfort her. He did not want this for her or for the baby.

"Get away from me!" she shouted. She pushed his hand off of her. "I _hate_ you. I never want to see you again."

David expected a reaction like this from her, but it still hurt him. Her voice was venomous, and she sounded like the Evil Queen he remembered from the Enchanted Forest.

David got up and walked away. He was tired and upset, and he knew he didn't need to be making her even more upset. "I will talk with you tomorrow, when you are well," he added before exiting the room completely. His voice was no longer gentle, but cold and angry.

With that he told the nurses to keep an eye on her and to call him immediately if anything changed, and then he headed back to Snow's apartment.

 **Snow's Apartment**

David finally walked through the door, after Snow and the baby had been home for several hours.

"How is the baby?" David asked.

Snow smiled. "He is doing wonderful, David. He is such a good baby."

"Thank you for taking care of him, Snow. I don't know what I would do without you."

David sounded exhausted. Snow knew he had been through a lot lately. "David, why don't you get some rest? I'll take care of the baby." David knew he should argue with her. The baby was his responsibility, not hers. But, he went ahead and took her offer anyway. He was extremely tired, and nearly fell asleep on his way home. Snow seemed more than happy to take care of the baby, anyways.

David had awoken the next morning well-rested and in a pretty decent mood. He saw Snow holding the baby on the couch and smiling at it.

"How are you two doing?" David asked.

"We're doing good. This little guy just finished his bottle. Do you want to hold him, David?"

David reached out for him. Snow told him that she would make breakfast for them, while he watched the baby. This was the first time that David had really had an opportunity to just sit and hold him. At the hospital, he had wanted Regina to spend as much time with the baby as possible.

He loved just looking at his son. It brought him immense happiness to touch his soft skin and listen to him breathe. David felt like all the time in the world would not be enough to continue holding him.

Snow and David ate breakfast in tranquility, neither saying much, but commenting on the baby every so often.

"I think I am going to take the baby back to the hospital," David said. "He needs to spend some time with his mother."

"Are you sure thats a good idea, David? What if she tries to run away with him again?"

"I can't be sure, but I am going to try."

 **Hospital**

David stopped by the nurse's station to ask the doctor how Regina was doing.

"She's doing pretty well," was his reply. "She has been up, and moving around a little this morning."

"Great," David smiled. Today was a new day, and he wanted a fresh start with Regina.

He knocked on Regina's door to make his presence known, but didn't open it.

"Who's there?" Regina asked.

"It's David" he replied.

"Go away," she sulked. The last thing Regina wanted was to continue their conversation from last night.

"Regina, I brought someone to see you."

He knew that would get her attention. He heard her shuffle her feet quickly and then she opened the door. She scooped the baby out of the carrier and smiled at him.

"My baby, I have missed you so much," she softly said.

Neither of them said much to each other for a long time. A long and awkward silence ensued.

Finally, David spoke up. "How are you?"

"I'm okay. I am still a little sore," she replied. David wanted to help her, but he wasn't sure how to help her in that way.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" he asked. David was trying his hardest to get the day off to a good start. When he left last night, neither of them were happy, least not David.

Regina thought for a while, but then spoke up. "Can you get a nurse for me to change the bedsheets?"

David agreed to that. When the nurse came in, she changed the bedsheets, and it was obvious why they needed to be changed. They were soaked in blood.

"Why are these bedsheets soaked in blood, Regina? Are you hurt?" His question was somewhat directed at Regina, but was really directed at the nursing staff. He didn't understand why they hadn't been checking on her before.

The nurse chimed in. "It's normal, your majesty, for women to bleed for quite a while after giving birth."

David had not been called "your majesty" in a long time. He suddenly remembered that he was Prince Charming.

"May I please talk with your supervisor," he asked calmly.

The nurse replied, "Right away, sir." Immediately, the supervisor walked in.

"What seems to be the problem, your majesty?" the man asked.

"What's wrong is that the mother of my son cannot possibly rest in a bed that is covered in blood." David was angry that they had not been taking better care of her.

Regina inwardly smiled at herself. She had always been royalty, but her status had greatly slipped since the curse had broken and people remembered who she was. Now, she was the mother of Prince Charming's son. She had not even thought about that status that would give her in both Storybrooke, and the Enchanted Forest. She was grateful that David had come in and defended her, even if she was still furious at him.

"We will get that taken care of, right away."

"Please do. And in the future, please make sure that you attend to her needs better," he scolded them.

Of course he knew that it had probably not been done on purpose. The nurses were very busy it seemed. However, Regina was special to him, and this gave him an opportunity to show her how much he cared about her, and that he would protect her.

David turned and looked at Regina. "Regina, you should have called me, earlier. I would have come down here right away."

"You seemed a little upset last night," she replied solemnly.

"I will admit…I was a little _upset_ last night." David decided to choose his terminology very carefully. "That doesn't mean I wouldn't have come down right away to help you. You gave me a son, a beautiful son. I don't take that lightly."

"What else do you need?" he asked.

"I need some more pain medication," she asked hesitantly.

"When is the last time you have taken any?"

"I can't remember, its been a while. Maybe last night."

"Did you ask for some?" David was getting irritated at the hospital staff. He left her alone for one night and this is what he comes back to.

"I did…but they were busy. I think they may have forgotten about me." Regina wasn't really all that upset about it. Annoyed was a better choice of word.

David on the other hand, was fuming on the inside. He wasn't sure if he was more upset with the hospital staff or himself. He had known that Regina was open to vulnerability since she was the Evil Queen. He should have stayed with her to make sure she was alright. He felt like a jerk for leaving her alone, after she had just given birth.

He called the nurse in there again and got her to deliver pain medication to Regina immediately.


	25. Chapter 25

**Author's Note: Once again, thank you so much for all of your reviews. This chapter is a little lighter than normal. Lots of feelings though.**

 **Also, I need a name for this baby. If you have any ideas, please let me know :)**

It was the afternoon, and Regina had been dismissed from the hospital. The doctor had given David clear instructions to make sure that she rested.

The pair drove back to the mansion from the hospital in a tense silence. "At least I have the baby now," Regina thought silently to herself.

Regina and David walked into the house, and David carried the baby, too. It was a task trying to help Regina up the steps to the bedroom, and also carry the baby at the same time. Regina insisted she was fine, but he could tell that despite the medication, she was still in a lot of pain.

Before they entered the bedroom, Regina stopped and stared into the baby's room, which was still untouched and empty. She had never had an opportunity to decorate or shop for the baby, which she had been so excited for. David recognized this unfulfilled wish and tried to cheer her up. "You still have time to decorate the baby's room. I will come over this weekend, and we can decorate the room, together." Still, the tears welled in her eyes from the disappointment. David gave her a quick hug and kissed her on the cheek.

Regina decided not to dwell on that. She was finally back in her own house, with her baby, and with David. She wanted to enjoy the moments while they lasted.

David helped Regina get settled into bed and handed her the baby.

"He looks like you, you know," David commented.

"Really?" Regina asked.

"Yes. He's strong, gorgeous, and has your big, beautiful eyes." That made Regina laugh a little, and she felt slightly embarrassed.

"David, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what is it?"

Regina didn't know how she wanted to phrase the question. She didn't want it to come off the wrong way. Finally, she took a deep breath and just went for it. "What do I have to do to keep the baby?" David was tired of fighting with her, but her question seemed genuine.

In all honesty, David had not quite thought about it all the way through. He just figured that eventually, it would happen. He knew he should give her some clear goals.

"Let's make it simple. What I want more than anything, is for you to be happy. That's not going to happen though, without an awful lot amount of work. I don't know your whole past, but I have a feeling that it has not been filled with happy experiences. I want you to go to therapy sessions with Archie, and work with him…everyday."

"Everyday? David? You can't be serious." Regina scoffed.

"Regina, this baby deserves its best chance. When Archie thinks that you can handle the baby by yourself, then we'll look at letting you keep the baby….in the meantime, I prefer that Snow take care of the baby when I am away." David was trying to be gentle and considerate.

"Thats not fair. He's my son."

"I know…and I'm sorry." David felt truly guilt about the situation, but not enough to change his mind.

"Than why are you doing it?"

"because I can't lose another baby again."

"So you're punishing me because of what happened with Emma." It was more a statement than a question.

"Regina, I lost her for 28 years. It was some of the worst pain I have ever experienced. I can't risk that again."

 **Regina's House- Afternoon**

As promised, David brought Archie over to start their therapy situations. David hoped that for Regina's sake, she would be more cooperative this time around.

"Good afternoon, Regina" Archie greeted her.

"Good afternoon, _Cricket_ ," Regina replied sarcastically. David shot her a disapproving glare, reminding her to be good.

Luckily, Regina's house had a private study that would serve their purposes perfectly, so David had Archie follow him and Regina there.

"I'll leave you two alone," David said.

Regina and Archie sat in the office for a long time, before either said anything. Regina would look at her hands, and then the clock, alternating stares.

"Are you going to tell me what's bothering you, Regina?" Archie asked.

Silence.

"There is nothing wrong with opening yourself up. You were the Evil Queen. As someone who has worked with patients for nearly 28 years, I can tell you that people don't become evil overnight."

There was a silence for a long time, but Regina finally asked a question that she had wondered about for years. "What causes good people to do evil things, in your opinion?"

Archie let out a sigh of relief. He finally had something from Regina that he could work with. He knew just from that statement that she didn't view herself as evil, but she recognized that she had done evil things in the past.

"In my professional opinion, I think that traumatic experiences can shape a person's view of the world."

Regina nodded her head slightly to signal that she had heard him. She didn't know what to say from then on.

After some time, Archie tried to change the subject to something he knew Regina was intensely interested in, keeping the baby. He could tell that she had been thinking about the baby a lot. It had cried once, and Regina had started to tear up. He told her not to worry, that David had it covered.

"Do you want to talk about the baby, Regina?"

"Not particularly," she replied dryly.

"I think that you do want to talk about it. David told me about the arrangement for the time being. I can assume that you are not happy about it."

"You assumed correctly," she replied sarcastically. It was obvious that she wasn't going to be happy about it. No mother would be.

"Why would you be?" he continued. "The ex-wife of your lover _and_ your arch-nemesis is going to be caring for your newborn son." He stated this matter of factly, and he knew it would antagonize her. It wasn't his intention to cause her pain, but to pick off the surface and get to her issues underneath.

"Okay, I think we're done," Regina said and stormed off. She went back upstairs and climbed into bed. The cricket was right. David was just handing her son off to her enemy as if it was no big deal.

"How did it go?" David asked Archie.

"It went okay. She didn't say much this time around, but thats not too unusual."

"What do you think?"

"You know, David, I think there is a lot that we don't know about Regina. As I was telling Regina earlier, trauma causes good people to do bad things…and where Regina is concerned, I think that there is going to be a lot of hidden trauma to uncover."

David felt a pang of intense grief. He knew Regina was a good person. He could only imagine what trauma she had gone through in her life.

"David, if you don't mind me asking…why did you bring me here to talk to Regina, now? I mean, you have known who Regina is for a long time."

"I caught her lying to me. Then, we worked through it, and she lied to me again….along with a bunch of other lies and manipulations."

"…but you still love her?"

"I shouldn't. She nearly ran off with my baby _again_ last night. She is manipulative, and selfish, and impulsive. But, yes, I still love her. It's like I am drawn to her."

"What do you want me to do with her?"

"Are you seriously asking me this? I don't know…fix her."

"In what way, exactly? If I try to erase every dark and bleak moment from her, its possible that she won't be the same person that you remember and _love_."

David was getting irritated at this conversation already. "Okay, so what can you do?"

"I can help you build trust with each other again. That's really what you want from her, right? To trust you?" David could agree to that.

"Manipulation and lying are defensive mechanisms. She is trying to defend herself, and protect herself against something. It's possible that she doesn't even realize what that it is, yet. However, these are hard to break a person of and it could take years. Regina thinks that if she goes to therapy sessions with me, that this whole situation is going to be resolved in a few weeks. I am here to tell you that that is not going to happen, and its cruel to make her think that."

"What am I supposed to do, then?"

"You both need to make a compromise. Open yourself up to allowing her to help make decisions for the baby."

David laughed. "She will just try to manipulate me again."

"I know. Work with her. Don't let her manipulate you, but allow her some room to feel like she has some control. She feels like she has none right now, and that is only going to make things worse."

 **Regina's Bedroom**

Regina was staring out the window, when David came knocking on the door.

"Can I come in?" David asked.

"Do I have a choice?" Regina moaned sarcastically.

"I'll take that as a yes." Regina could be so difficult sometimes.

David started out tenderly. "I want us to talk."

"I'm tired of talking," she replied wearily. It seemed like all they did was talk in circles, never accomplishing anything.

David sat down on the bed next to her, and put his hand on her shoulder, in an effort to demonstrate peace and tranquility.

"I want the baby to stay with you,' David stated.

That comment took a moment to register with her. She wasn't sure if she had heard him correctly and a confused expression spread across her face. Regina turned around to face David and sat up. She wiped away any traces of tears that had fallen. "Really?"

"Yes. I want us to build our trust with each other again, so that we can be a family." To put an emphasis on the word "family," David handed the baby to her, and she returned his gesture with a smile. She would never get tired of holding their son.

Regina could tell that David was taking a big step towards trying to gain her trust. Maybe there _was_ hope that things would work out. "How do we do that?"

This was it. Archie said to let her have options, so that's what he was going to do. "Don't let me down, Archie" he thought.

"I need to know that the baby will be safe with you, and that I am not going to leave while you fulfill your secret plot to take our baby back to the Enchanted Forest."

Regina rolled her eyes at his suggestion. It sounded ridiculous when he had said it out loud, but she knew that his concerns were valid to an extent. She had lied to him and manipulated him a lot throughout the last few weeks.

"Okay, I see your point. _I'm sorry_ that I lied to you, and I promise that I will try to do better in the future."

David's heart swelled at that moment. "Regina, I know that we have been fighting a lot lately…but, would it be okay if I kissed you?"

Her eyes became damp and sparkled, but this time of happiness. She nodded her head, and he didn't hesitate to place a long, gentle kiss on her lips.

"David, I know that you're trying really hard to make this work, and I want to try hard, too. I also know its going to take a while for you to trust me again. Maybe…" Regina took a deep breath and closed her eyes trying to mentally prepare herself for what was going to propose. "Maybe, Snow can come over here and stay with me, while you're away."

David gasped from shock. That was really the last thing he expected her to agree to, nonetheless propose. He didn't think that Archie had a clue as to what he was talking about. That is, until he saw it work with his own eyes.

"You would really be okay with that?" David asked.

"Sure," she said a little hesitantly. Regina wasn't looking forward to a babysitter, but having Snow around here for part of the day had its perks. Snow could do all the housework, while Regina spent time with the baby. And on top of that, Regina could flaunt both her relationship with David _and_ her new baby in front of Snow all day. She smiled at the thought. "I _can_ be happy," she said to herself.


	26. Chapter 26

**Regina's Kitchen 8:00 AM**

David and Regina were happily having breakfast with their son in the kitchen when the doorbell rang. "I'll get it," David said.

Regina huffed and sat back in her chair anticipating the worst. She wasn't sure how the day would unfold, but she dreaded having to spend all day with Snow. However, David needed to get back to the sherif's office. There was some work that needed to be done ASAP. She was determined to not let the princess tell her what to do, though.

Then, David and Snow walked in to the kitchen together. "Regina, can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Sure, David." Regina got up with the baby and followed him to the living room so that they could talk privately.

" _Please_ be nice. Remember, _you_ were the one that came up with this idea."

Regina flashed him the sweetest smile, and said "Of course." David, however, knew that she was not being sincere, as he could see a glimmer of malice in her eyes.

David remembered what Archie said. She wasn't going to change overnight. He took a deep breath, and decided to let it go. Hopefully, he would come home at the end of the day, and everything would be fine. "Thank you," he replied. "I appreciate how _hard_ you are working for our _son_." He emphasized the word "son" to inspire her to behave.

"Snow," he called as he walked back into the kitchen. "If you or Regina need anything, please don't hesitate to call me."

"Thank-you," she replied.

"Okay, I guess I should get going," he said as he grabbed his jacket.

"Wait, David. You can't leave without telling our son good-bye," Regina reminded him.

David smiled at her, and placed a kiss on the baby's forehead. He also leaned down to give Regina a kiss, too. Regina used this as an opportunity to flaunt her relationship with David in front of Snow. She deepened the kiss in a passionate display. David was caught a little off-guard, but he returned the kiss anyways.

Both David and Snow, knew exactly what she was doing. Snow rolled her eyes and frowned at David, who gave her an apologetic look.

David started his truck, frustrated. He picked up the phone and dialed Archie's number.

"David, how are things?"

"Not good," was David's reply. "She _completely_ manipulated the situation this morning, kissing me in front of Snow. It wasn't just any kiss, either. She put more passion into that kiss than when we created our son." It hurt David a little knowing that she apparently cared more about hurting Snow than his feelings, but he was used to this and could put up with it. He knew that she didn't do it purposefully to hurt him. "I am beginning to think that she is using the situation to make Snow miserable. And here I was to think that she came up with this idea out of the goodness of her heart."

"Well…that's not too out of the ordinary," was Archie's reply.

Archie was right. This is just who Regina is, and for the time-being he just needed to accept that. Despite everything, David understood her and her reasoning behind it.

 **Living Room**

There had been an award silence between Regina and Snow all day. This was not how Regina had imagined spending the first several days of her son's life…and it was irritating her.

"Snow, dear, would you mind helping me prepare dinner? I want to make sure that _David_ has a nice meal to come home to. He works so hard for _us,_ the baby and I." Regina made sure to emphasize certain words to get her point across.

"Of course, _dear,"_ Snow replied sarcastically. Regina had her running around the house all day doing chores, some of which she was sure Regina was just making up to irritate her. Regina had insisted the bathroom be cleaned meticulously for the health of the baby, even though it already reeked of having been bleached the day before. Through all of this, Regina made subtle comments all day intended to antagonize her.

"If only Regina knew…" Snow thought. She had been thinking about ways to slip to Regina that she and David had been intimate with each other a few weeks ago. However, it was important to Snow to be the bigger person. Not to mention that David would be furious if he found out that she told Regina.

Needing to vent her frustrations, she called David.

- _"She has been awful, David. You have no idea what its like being here with her all day."_

 _-"I am beginning to get the picture…" David sighed._

 _-"She has been ordering me around all day, and makes inflammatory comments every opportunity she has."_

 _-"Really? That doesn't sound anything like Regina," David laughed trying to lighten the mood._

 _-Exasperated, Snow admitted, "I have been trying really hard all day to not bite back with a comment about our little tryst from a few weeks ago, but Regina is making it really hard."_

- _David was alarmed. He was going to tell Regina about it eventually, but he wanted to tell her when she was a little more calm. "Please don't say anything to her. That was a mistake and who knows what would happen if she finds out."_

Unbeknownst to David and Snow, Regina had been eavesdropping on their whole conversation. She had expected something like that to happen between the two of them, but actually hearing about it made Regina furious. How could David do that to her? Rage burned inside her. Her body shook ferociously with anger and she could feel hot blood pumping inside her.

Like always, Snow was trying to ruin her happiness. She imagined that Snow used her "despair' at the handmaiden's death to manipulate David into feeling sorry for her. "How pathetic…" Regina thought.

Snow was now a danger and a real threat to her. If Snow was able to seduce David just a few weeks ago, who knows what could happen in the future.

"Mary Margaret!" Regina shouted.

"Yes, Regina?" Snow asked.

"I need you to watch the baby for a while. I need to go to the store and pick up a few things."

"Okay…," Snow replied, confused.

 **Police Station**

Regina knew exactly how to get rid of Mary Margaret, and it only involved a little bit of magic. The only problem was that the one person she needed to help her, was the person that she least wanted to see.

"Jefferson," Regina greeted him from behind the jail cell.

"Your majesty…what a surprise. I didn't expect to see you here."

"I have come to offer you a deal, Jefferson. Nothing more." Regina was still extremely upset about what he had intended to do to her several months before. It was despicable, and she never could forgive him for it.

"Really? How can I be of service?" Jefferson was very interested in the queen's presence. He knew she needed his special skills once again.

"I can make you a deal to get you out of here, but I need your help to get rid of a problem I have." Regina's voice remained cool and even. She felt alive again, knowing that she was in control once more.

"I'm listening…" Jefferson replied.

"I have spoken to the judge about your case. I told him that I would be willing to consider dropping all charges against you. He is just waiting on me to give him my final answer. _One_ phone call from me and you are out of here."

"What do you want in return, _your majesty_?"

"Snow White. She is getting in the way of my happiness and I need her gone." Jefferson could read her voice well enough to know that something major must have happened, and he thought that it likely had to do something with David.

"You want me to use the portal to send her to another realm?"

"Yes, and I need you to be discreet. Can you do this?"

"Of course," Jefferson replied, bowing his head.

David was making his rounds through the small prison, when he noticed that one particular prisoner was missing from his cell.

"Has anyone seen Jefferson?" David asked out into the crowd.

"The judge released him," a fellow prisoner commented.

" _What_?" David shouted. He could not believe that the judge would order him released, not after what he had done to Regina.

"Yeah, there was a lady in here earlier talking to him about it. She was a pretty thing."

That caught David's attention. He prayed that this woman was not who he thought it was.

"Do you remember what she looked like?" David asked.

"Oh yeah, she was beautiful. Dark black hair and beautiful brown eyes."

David sighed. "What was she doing?"

"She told him that she would help him get out of here, if he could do something for her. Something about getting rid of another woman who was interfering in her life."

That sounded just like the Regina he knew. Immediately, he called Snow.

- _"Hey Snow. How's everything going?" he said casually, not wanting to cause any alarm._

 _"Great. We're doing fine,' she replied._

 _-"Can I talk to Regina?" he asked trying to feel her out without mentioning anything._

 _-"Can you call us back later? Regina went out to pick up a few things from the store."_

 _-"Sure. Bye, Snow. I'll talk to you later."_

At this point, he knew that Regina had been the culprit. "What are you up to?" David asked himself.

Grabbing his jacket, David left the Sherrif's station in search of Regina. It was important to find her before she did anything she would regret. There were so many different women that Regina had feuds with, he wasn't exactly sure which one she was after. His immediate thought was Snow, but he thought later on that list could also include her mother, Emma, Belle, and several other women who she had quarreled with throughout Storybrooke.

He needed to locate her fast. Luckily, David didn't need magic to do that. After Regina had been kidnapped by Dr. Whale and Jefferson, he installed a GPS app on her phone that let him know her location.

The GPS pin dropped next to the mansion, but not on top of it. She must be going back home, and if Jefferson was with her, that means that she must be after Snow. Mentally, he was already preparing himself for another long night.

 **Mayor's Mansion**

"Regina, why are you with Jefferson?" Snow asked wide-eyed and alarmed.

"I think it would be best to hand me the baby, dear."

Snow didn't hand the baby to Regina, but placed the baby into the bassinet, all the while thinking of a way to escape.

"Regina, whatever you're planning, its not worth it…" Snow appealed to her.

"What makes you so sure?" Regina gave her a sweet but malicious smile; she enjoyed every bit of watching this woman shudder.

"David…he would never forgive you. You will lose him."

"I overhead your conversation with David earlier," Regina finally admitted coldly. "It took my entire adult life and a 28 year curse, but I finally found happiness with someone again. And there you were to take it all away. You tried to take David, you manipulated David into trying to take my baby, but I won't let you. I love them. Why can't you just leave me alone?" With a voice on the edge of cracking, and tears welling up, Regina was struggling to maintain her composure. After Regina had found out about their affair, she felt like her whole future was at stake of crumbling down around her. It had only reaffirmed what Regina had always known; Snow was the reason that she could never be happy.

Taking a deep breath to inhibit her emotional response, Regina added, "You will be going somewhere far away, where I don't have to worry about you any longer."

Regina heard David pulling into the driveway, and panicked. She wondered if she should stop since David was so close. This might be her only chance though. No doubt that if David stopped her, she would have a very limited opportunity in the future. Running over to the baby, she picked him up to protect him from the portal's forces.

"Jefferson, do it!" Regina ordered.

Quickly, Jefferson spun his magical hat into motion and a gigantic portal opened up on the floor, spinning and whirling with the fury of a tornado. Everything within reach was being sucked in.

David walked through the front door and was immediately hit with the sucking force. He immediately jumped into action when he saw both women in danger of falling through the portal.

Snow was on the outer edge and had barely fallen in. He grabbed onto her upper body and pulled her to safety. Regina on the other hand was trapped between the portal and the wall holding on to the baby. David reached for her hand in an attempt to rescue her, too. Regina had to be careful though with the footing. Holding the baby, her balance was off. It didn't take long and she slipped. She had the baby in one arm holding him tightly, and one hand holding on to David.

David made a desperate attempt to pull her out of the portal, but the forces were too strong. Sweat, either from exhaustion or fear, built up a slick covering on their palms. It didn't take long for Regina's hand to slip out from his, causing her to fall through the portal.

David looked at the portal in shock. The woman he loved and his newborn son had just been sucked away. He made one last glance at Snow, who was looking upon the situation in disbelief. David jumped in the portal after them, not knowing what would be waiting for him on the other side.


	27. Chapter 27

**Alternate Universe**

It all happened so suddenly. One minute, David was swirling through a portal and the next, he was…well, he wasn't sure exactly. David looked around him and his first sight was the bright sun shining in the corner of his eye. The sun was so bright it nearly blinded him to his surroundings. Objects and sounds started to come into focus, slowly. There was a deafening noise of a crowd cheering, but for what he did not know.

He looked down at his hands and noticed he had thick gloves on. As he looked up and down his arms he realized that he was in his royal garments from the Enchanted Forest.

He observed and scrutinized the details of his surroundings. He noticed that he was on a high platform in the town square, sitting on his throne. He looked to the side of him where Snow generally sat and noticed that her throne was empty. If this was some alternate universe, where was she at, he wondered.

The commotion of the townspeople caught David's attention. He had never seen them so riled up before. Their cheers were booming, and people were fighting each other to see the town stage.

That's when he saw her, Regina. She was dressed in a long, plain white dress, with ash marking her face. Two guards held her on either side, and were leading her to a tall, wooden poll, which she was fiercely fighting against. The guards brutally chained her to the pole, while others threw dry straw at her feet.

She looked terrified and he could tell that she was watching him intensely, praying that he would recognize who she was.

He looked at the man standing next to him. "Tell me, sir. What's going on?" David demanded to know what was happening.

The man looked confused and terrified at the same time. "You ordered the execution of the witch and her child." He went on, " Are you alright, your majesty?" The man looked genuinely concerned at the King, and wondered why he was asking such a question.

"Why would I do that?" David asked. He was trying to assess the situation as quickly as possible to determine what he could do to save Regina and his son at. Looking around, he didn't even see his newborn and wondered what had happened to him and where he could be.

"After she assassinated the Queen, you said that was the final straw. Your majesty, are you sure you don't want to lie down for a bit? You are not looking well."

"Yes, I am fine," David said. He clearly understood what was happening now, and was wracking his brain to find a solution. There was no time to think, though. The executioner was reading Regina her last rites, which was common in their land. Regina was in tears and falling apart on the stage. The intense duress of the situation made it hard for David to think. He seemed to be frozen in a state where he could do nothing.

As David intensely stared at Regina, he saw a young woman bring a baby and place it at her feet. He was shocked that this world could be so cruel.

"Stop the execution!' he ordered. He was obviously the king in this realm so he could do that. However, his voice was lost upon the noisy crowd.

David saw the executioner lay down a blazing torch next to the straw and watched the flames spread. Smoke was quickly filling the air. David wasted no time and drew his sword. He sprinted towards the crowd, thrusting townspeople out of the way. He barreled his way onto the town stage, using his arm to push the thick smoke out of the way. His first concern was his son, who he saw at Regina's feet. The flames had not touched either of them yet luckily, but Regina's body was slumped forward indicating that the smoke had already filled her lungs.

He picked up his son and gave him to the young woman who had brought him here. The woman was in tears, and he had thought that she had only brought the baby reluctantly.

David used his sword to break the shackles that tied Regina to the pole and slung her body over his shoulder.

He laid her flat on the wooden platform and tried to perform CPR on her. The townspeople gazed upon the scene in bewilderment.

"Burn her!" a man shouted.

The duress was too much for David to handle. David picked up his sword and violently swung it at the man who had made the comment. The blade sliced his cheek and blood started gushing out. With that, the townspeople quieted and dispersed quickly, and David quickly returned to Regina.

When he returned, Regina had flipped to her side and was now coughing violently. He made powerful strides over to the young woman who was holding his son. "How is he?" David asked.

"He's alive and breathing," she replied.

David commanded the guards to fetch a doctor immediately and prepare a wagon to take the queen back to the castle. No one dared to question him after the fiery exhibit of power and anger he had just displayed, although they all wondered why he was acting so out of character.

The royal advisors had made their way over to David and requested to speak with him. David was too preoccupied with the queen, however. Ash covered her face and arms, and her wrists were bruised and badly injured from the shackles that they had used. She couldn't speak through the intense episodes of coughing, and eventually she had coughed so hard, her saliva was tinted with specs of blood. It was painful for David to watch her writhe in pain from the smoke inhalation. He briefly got up and found a bucket of clean water stationed near the town center. He brought it back to her and raised it towards her mouth. Slowly, she sipped it.

David ordered the young female servants who were standing close by to watch her carefully and assist her. Soon, there were 3 to 4 women surrounding her, trying to bring comfort in whatever way possible.

The wagon had arrived along with a doctor, and David sprinted towards the doctor grabbing hold of his shoulder and leading him towards where Regina lay. The doctor had brought a mixture of herbs designed to soothe irritated lungs. He examined her as much as possible on the platform and applied a thick balm to her chest. Regina felt her lungs expand immediately and fell to the ground grateful for the relief it brought.

"David, the baby?" she asked, still taking small gasps for air.

David took the baby from the young woman and brought it to Regina to look upon. Wearily, she raised her trembling hand and put it on the baby's chest. She could feel the rising and falling of his small chest underneath her fingertips, which brought an immense feeling of solace.

"Can we move her to the wagon?" David asked.

"Of course, your majesty." David and the women helped Regina to stand up and assisted her into the wagon. David placed their son in her arms, and placed fresh blankets on top of them. Unfortunately, there was not enough room in the wagon for both David and the doctor, so David reluctantly agreed to ride in the royal carriage. If anything went wrong, David wanted a doctor to be by her side. As Regina and their baby were settled in the wagon, the doctor went to work immediately bandaging her inflamed wrists.

Not wanting to infuriate the king even further, the townspeople and royal advisors did not say much to David about the surprising turn of events. They instead whispered plausible explanations among themselves. "Perhaps the king became distraught after looking upon the woman who had murdered his fair queen," one theorized.

An older man, no doubt a high-ranking royal advisor as well, rode with David in the carriage. After traveling for several miles, he commented, "Your majesty, if I may ask…what happened out there?"

David knew he would need to provide an explanation, quickly. At times during his reign in the Enchanted Forest, David had immediately ordered the execution of the Evil Queen, and David knew this alternate reality was indeed very plausible. Soon, the townspeople would want an explanation. "The queen, Snow, wouldn't have wanted this," David replied. This seemed to appease the man for the time being.

"But what shall we do with the Evil Queen and her son now that you have spared their lives?"

This was not a simple question, David thought. Of course, he desperately wanted to bring Regina and their son into the comforts of the royal palace. However, doing so could risk a revolt, and nobody would be safe. The townspeople hated her, and with good reason. She had committed countless acts of terror throughout the kingdom. Staying within the palace walls was out of the question, until he found a solution. On the other hand, he could not bear to see the woman he loved and his newborn son in a common prison. He figured he should give the man a middle-line answer.

"Take them to the tower," David responded. Nobody desired to be in the tower, as it lacked the luxuries of the palace and even some basic necessities. Nonetheless, it was better than the common prison cell by ten-fold.


	28. Chapter 28

When they reached the palace, David was swarmed with noblemen asking about various things ranging from kingdom finances to small rebellions.

"Excuse me!" he shouted. "Right now, I have a pressing matter to deal with." He looked at the royal advisor that had ridden with him in the carriage. "Please see to it that the kingdom remains in tact. I will be back shortly."

"Of course, your majesty."

David made his way to the tower, where the doctor was still attending to Regina. "How is she?" he asked.

"She is doing much better now. I think that she will fully recover in the next few days."

Regina stared at him as he was speaking with the doctor, but then turned on her side and faced the wall. She looked dreadful in the few moments that he glanced at her. Her face was still ash-covered, and her eyes were slightly bloodshot with red rims circling them. Drenched in a layer of sticky sweat, dirt clung to her skin and almost made it look a few shades darker.

"Thank-you, sir. Please stay close-by in case we need your services again."

The man exited the room, and David motioned for the women who were there to follow also. Finally, David and Regina were alone, other than for the presence of their sleeping infant.

He kneeled on the floor next to her and gently stroked her hair.

"Regina, please talk to me," he said.

"What do you want me to say?" she asked. He could tell her voice still hurt her a lot. It had a roughness to it that made it sound raspy and weak.

"Why did you open that portal?"

"I was trying to get rid of Snow," she replied plainly.

"That much was obvious…" he said. He was mad at the situation, but he wasn't mad at her. He was too worried about her to be angry, and he didn't care if she knew that or not. What he couldn't figure out is why she was upset with him.

"You _chose_ her," she continued. David didn't understand why she would say something like that. For the past several months, he had always chosen her.

"Regina, every time, I have chosen you. And forgive me for the bluntness, but you are obviously upset with me, and I don't understand why that is so. You are the one who opened the portal here."

"You didn't choose me when you decided to sleep with her," she replied, wiping a stray tear away.

"You overhead our conversation," he said turning his head away from her.

"YES. It was the most humiliating moment of my entire life. David, I was carrying _your_ baby, and you still decided to sleep with her. How could you do that?"

David didn't know what to say and immediately felt the pangs of guilt. In a gentle tone he tried to explain to her, "Regina, that was a mistake. I know this is going to be hard to believe, but I love you. I don't want Snow, I want you."

"That doesn't change what you did," she huffed.

"So, are you saying that you don't want to be with me? That you don't love me?"

Regina thought she should avoid that question. She didn't really want to answer him in that moment.

"I want to tell you no…" she weeped. "But we both know that's not true." There was no point in denying it. She knew that she loved him, and wanted to be with him. At this point, he would have to do a lot of damage for her not to feel that way. She was especially not in position to deny that now after he had saver her life.

He placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "No matter what has happened, I love you."

"Is that why you are keeping me and our son here in the tower?" she replied. David's heart broke at that. In the end, he was doing what was necessary to protect them and he hoped that she would understand that.

"Right now, I can't bring you into the palace. That would raise even more questions than there already are. How am I supposed to explain that to the kingdom? This afternoon, the kingdom was preparing for your death, and now you're living inside the palace halls? The tower was difficult enough to secure for you."

"So we're just going to live out our days here?" she replied sarcastically.

"No. We are going to find a way out of here," he told her. "We need to work _together_ and find a way back to Storybrooke."

"What about our baby? Can you at least bring him into the palace?" she asked.

"I don't think that would be a good idea," he replied. "He is not recognized as my son in this realm. They think that he will be a powerful enemy in the future, which is why they want me to kill him."

"You wouldn't?"

"Of course not." He was a little offended that she would even ask such a question.

"David, its not safe for him here. Look around," she pleaded with him.

David looked around. There was filthy straw lying around on the floor, and the cold stone had small puddles of water in the depressions. The mattress that Regina and their son were laying on had major rips and tears, where straw was bulging out. David was most concerned about the temperature of the drafty room, which remained much colder than what was comfortable.

"I'll do whatever I can to improve the conditions; I promise. For right now, I need you to stay here. I know its hard, but I _promise_ this is only temporary."

She nodded her head slightly. "When will we see you again?" she asked.

"I will be back tomorrow as soon as possible," he told her. Regina's heat sank at the thought of going hours upon hours without him.

"David, I'm worried I won't be able to take care of the baby. I don't think that I am strong enough." Regina had concerns about telling him this. She was ashamed to even think that she was not strong enough to take care of their baby by herself, but she knew that having any doubts could put their son's life at risk. Regina was really sick and she knew it. She could already start to feel the effects of infection from the smoke inhalation, and thought that perhaps she might have a high fever by morning.

"I will send for the doctor to watch over you and the baby, as well as a nursemaid to assist you."

Exhausted, Regina nodded her head in agreement, and shut her heavy eyelids.

"Try to get some rest." David kissed her and a rare tear escaped from his eye gazing upon the misery that was around them. He also kissed the forehead of his son before leaving the tower.

"David" Regina said before he left. "Thank you for saving us today."

"I will always be here to protect you," he replied and gave her a small smile.

 **Tower**

Regina had woken up the next morning, cold and shivering. Luckily, her baby was cuddled up close to her and seemed to be doing alright.

"Good morning, milady," the doctor greeter her.

"Good morning," she sighed through chattering teeth.

"The guards brought you some breakfast. I suggest you eat up."

She looked at the food tray that was sitting on a small wooden table. It contained a soupy type of porridge and a browned and badly bruised banana.

"No thanks," she replied. Her appetite was not that desperate at the moment.

"How will you feed your baby if you don't eat?" the doctor asked, trying to persuade her. He brought the tray to her and placed it in her lap.

She knew he was right. She needed calories, and there wasn't many options at the moment. She took the soupy porridge and ate small bites of it, disgusted at the texture and the bland flavor.

"How long will you be here?" Regina asked.

"The king has requested that I stay here and provide medical care to you and your child until you are well again. I will leave to provide him updates throughout the day." Regina was grateful to David that he had at the very least had managed to provide a doctor for the both of them. It brought her comfort to know that they were in his care, at least for the time being.

"May I see your child?" the doctor asked.

Regina handed him the baby, and gently the doctor started to examine him. He noticed the baby had started to develop a rash on his back. He applied some healing balm on him, which caused her son to start a loud and high pitched cry. Regina looked at the rash that had developed and despaired. "What's wrong with him?" Regina asked.

"I believe the child has irritated skin from the ash on his skin. I will bring some water so that you can bathe him."

Regina nodded as she rubbed her son's back, trying to provide him as much comfort as possible under the situation.

 **Palace**

David was in a royal council meeting, trying to deal with problems he did not know much about. It was difficult to concentrate, when he could only think about Regina and his son, injured and sick lying in a nearly forsaken tower.

He interrupted the council meeting and called upon the royal advisor that assisted him yesterday. He had found out throughout the day that his name was Charles.

"Charles, may I speak with you for a moment?"

"Of course your majesty."

The rest of the members looked upon them questioningly. No one dared to speak out about it, but they all found the situation highly unusual.

David and Charles proceeded to a private room that the king used for meetings. David poured Charles a drink and handed it to him as they sat down. The king's movements highlighted the tenseness of his muscles. Charles was unsure about what had brought about this edgy behavior that the king had displayed since yesterday.

"What's wrong, your majesty. You have not been yourself lately." David had no idea, really, who this man was. However, the gentle demeanor of the man told David he could trust him.

"I need help with an important matter, and you must _swear_ yourself to secrecy." The man's eyes widened anticipating and wondering why the king had called him in there.

David started again. "I am in love with the Queen."

"Of course. We all remember what a beautiful and kind woman the Queen was." David realized he should have been more specific.

"No, not that Queen" he admitted.

Suddenly, David's behavior yesterday at the town square made sense to Charles. However, he was indeed shocked. For years, David's attitude towards the queen had shown nothing but hatred.

"Your majesty, that is quite the change of heart…" Charles replied.

"I know, but you have sworn yourself to secrecy and you must not tell anybody."

"Of course. What shall your majesty have me do about this, predicament? You must know that we cannot possibly let this _situation_ be known to the kingdom. It could cause mass panic and confusion to know that their beloved king has fallen in love with the Evil Queen."

"I know. However, I must know that she is being well taken care of. I cannot bear to see her in such poverty."

Charles had a solution, which he hoped the King would favor as well. "Forgive me for suggesting this, but perhaps your majesty should take her as a concubine. It would allow you to bring her into the palace on a regular basis."

"You just said that if she was in the palace the people would revolt. How can you suggest something like that?"

"Your majesty, the people do not want to see the King in love with a witch. However, the queen is obviously beautiful. I believe that the people would accept that someone of your status would want to keep such a stunning woman to serve his needs."

David had not thought about this before, but he already thought it to be an acceptable solution, however despicable. It would allow him to have a semi-open relationship with her, without upsetting the kingdom too much. Indeed, the townspeople would view such a relationship as more of a punishment than a status elevation. Of course, he wondered how Regina would see it.

"Your majesty, may I ask about the infant?"

David gulped a breath and stated, "You assume correctly."

Charles acknowledge the King's admission with a slight nod to the head, and although the king's admission of love had surprised him, his following admission of fatherhood did not.

"Should I ask the chambermaids to see to it that the queen is ready to visit you in your chambers tonight?"

David nodded his head to signal that would be alright.


End file.
